


City Of Masks

by MorganMacCallum



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Demons Are Assholes, Dystopian, F/M, There will be more characters, Urban Fantasy, but only half of them, humans are pretty much second class citizens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-19 03:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13695681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganMacCallum/pseuds/MorganMacCallum
Summary: In this world, humans are second class citizens; snacks and tools for the amusement of demons. Kept separate through regulations and zones, Kagome is part of a secret rebellion against the demonic government. Kouga is just another demon drawn towards the fragile girl, unaware of her status as a human; caught in the complex web of survival, and his own need to defend those dear to him.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Every day Kagome comes closer to taking down the government that seeks to oppress her people, but each day the risks grow higher. Until she falls.

CHAPTER ONE

It was nine minutes past eleven at night and all humans were to remain in their regions or have to deal with the authorities; a statement that often resulted in a beating or in death. Artificial blue lights, and the heavy beats of music echoed in the Blue Zone of Tokyo, drunken cheers and roars, the distinct odour of sweat and meat in the air. Kagome never ate the food, and never stayed within smelling range; she hid on the rooftops and climbed over the crowds; a modern day ninja dressed in bomber jacket and skinny jeans, her shoes of stealth tacky shoes with ruined soles.

It was rare that she was the one to intrude upon demon territory, sticking primarily to the comforts of the Orange Zone tucked away in the corner of an old electronics shop, living in the crawl space above surrounded by her computers and her phones. Her priestess blood made her a big target, either as an exotic prize or as a danger to demons, and she found that she was much better suited for helping others from a distance; Green Bird they called her if only for her avatar.

It was Yuka who most often slipped through the overcrowded streets. She had the bold persona, the strong kicks, and the snarling habits of any demon and in such a crowd it was difficult to catch a single smell, but she had been caught a few too many times in a fight and at last they had scanned her wrist and her identity was revealed. A human, and a troublemaker at that.

She escaped with no real struggle, but she would have to stay out of sight until they forgot her face, or until Ayumi could create something that made them forget. It was dangerous enough being a human, but if they caught a single whiff of her connections to the rebellion.

Kagome did not like to think of such things.

Kagome had a simple job. She needed to break into the Blue Zone and slip into the Leaking Brain, a popular pub with some of the strongest drinks in the world and the most expensive. She was to ask for Hojo, the only human worker allowed to work such hours, and order a ‘Wolf Blood’. It would be his message, which he was to pass on, to ‘Half Dog’ that the main system had been successfully hacked and that progress was being made on the virus. She was then to drink the alcohol, wait ten minutes, then slip out and return to base.

Extremely simple, and perfectly safe if she was careful; and Kagome was always careful.

There was a large crowd outside the Leaking Brain, which she was not entirely surprised about. Drunken demons of various sizes and colours stumbling into a lazy fight, the slurred words of barely comprehensible threats as two demons in particular circled each other in a mock fight. She knew enough to know that neither were willing or capable of fighting, but she waited regardless, keeping her body close to the metal roof.

‘A wolf demon, very strong and… a… thunder demon?’ Often times the demons that looked the most human were the most dangerous. Both looked incredibly human and, though she would never admit it out loud, very handsome. And incredibly strong. She would not want to walk into such a fight, or anywhere near it. She glanced down at her watch; she could wait.

Two minutes of swearing, sizing each other up, and getting a little too close together, and eventually they both cracked. Too drunk to be sensible, they both collapsed into laughter. The wolf demon slapped the thunder demon’s back in a friendly fashion before stumbling back to his own group, the thunder demon returning to what looked to be a lizard demon, throwing up everything he had eaten shortly afterwards and then passing out.

‘Pleasant.’ The fight having dispersed, she climbed down from the rooftop. For a moment, she considered keeping her hood on. It would hide her face, and if she ran into trouble they would have nothing to go by, and yet at the same time it would increase suspicion towards her. She scoffed at this. ‘People with hoods go in all the time, you’ll hardly stand out.’

She opted to keep the hood on, stuffing her hands into her pockets and she trudged towards the Leaking Brain. As quiet as a mouse, and just as stealthy, she weaved through the groups of various drunkards, eyes focused entirely upon the entrance. The truth of the matter was that, whether it was human or not, she hated pubs and such events. They were too loud, too hot, and too crowded for her liking. She rarely went with her friends when it was safe to do so, and in the Leaking Brain there was another risk that kept knocking at the back of her brain telling her over and over again: you’re going to die, you’re going to die, you’re going to-

She froze when someone grabbed her arm. She did not panic and start screaming, and did not shout, despite her instincts telling her that she needed to escape before she was eaten. Slowly, she let out a sigh, and turned towards the person that grabbed her.

“Yuri we were wondering where the hell you went. You just up and vanished and no one’s seen you since! You had me worried sick!” She did not recognise the demon in front of her. She quickly glanced at his tail, a wolf demon and then at his blonde Mohawk and unsettling beady eyes. Yuri was Yuka’s fake name; she must have had a few drinks with the wolf demon crowd. They were known to get clingy.

“Sorry, I’m not Yuri.” Kagome announced with a calm voice. She almost felt like she had kicked a puppy when she saw the wounded look on his face, although he did let go of her wrist which she shoved back into her pocket. “Though I do know her.” She winced, wishing she had not said anything, especially when he lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Who are you? Are you Kikyo?” The way he bounced back from his distress was unsettling and Kagome had to take a step back, something which only confused the stranger. It appeared as though Yuka had to tell a few stories in order to get around the area; she hoped that she had not been given a particularly unusual backstory although, knowing Yuka, she had been given the strangest of them.

“I-I’m- I’m Kikyo.”

“The recluse arrives!” She winced slightly.

“Well… you’re not wrong. I hope she didn’t give you some sort of bizarre, tragic backstory of how I lost my parents to the human rebellions or anything.” The demon blinked a few times. Her sense of humour was still too poor for any actual conversation. “Sorry, she had a habit of doing that. I’m- I’m just gonna go-,”

“Wait! This is your first time here, isn’t it? Come hang out with us.”

“R-really, I’m fine, I’m just going to-,” Before she could protest any further the wolf demon took her by the shoulders and dragged her to the crowd of extremely dangerous, extremely powerful wolf demons who were, along with being a threat to her, drunk out of their minds. If she ran she would be painting a target on her back, but if she stayed she would risk being unveiled as a human.

‘Yuka managed this, so you can as well.’ She sucked in a breath, being led through the group of rowdy demons to a bench where surrounded by men shouting before erupting into cheers. She tried not to shiver, remembering the various other circumstances in which she heard such celebrations. Bone crunching and blood-

“Hey boss!” The crowd parted for them, Kagome being pushed forward by the blonde demon. “I found one of Yuri’s friends. It’s the quiet one.” The cheers fell into silence as the demons assessed the stranger, judging her hunched back and quiet nature, the way that she glanced back and forth between them and the gaps between their shoulders; desperately trying to find an escape route.

The ‘boss’ was the wolf demon that she had seen in the mock fight before. She did not get a chance to properly analyse him before, but with his intense stare upon her then he was difficult to ignore. If she could describe him in regards to physical form, she would call him a ‘demon punch’. She could practically feel his muscles ripple underneath his shirt. Everything about him radiated power; there was a reason he was the alpha. She felt her powers flare before she forced them down. It would do her little good to draw more attention to herself.

There was a long moment where she simply stared at him. Pale blue eyes, void of any pupil, confronting chocolate brown. She could see him trying to assess her, to see whether she was any sort of threat or even worth his time, under the haze of alcohol. His skin was flush with red, and his ponytail had come loose at one point; barely held up. If he were human, she would very much like his company. From what she had observed, he was the playful sort. But he was a demon and she knew that was most certainly not the case. Demons were dangerous, and wolf demons in particular liked the taste of humans. If she had to escape, her only chance revolved around his heightened senses. Whether it were a stink bomb or flare, if she could hinder his senses for a single moment she could escape. She briefly glanced at his arm; it was recently injured. She could work with that.

The moment was broken when she realised that she was not supposed to look directly at a demon, and she quickly lowered her eyes, wincing when he huffed.

“Um… hi.” If she could, she would close in on herself, but instead opted to keep her hands in her pockets and her hood firmly in place. “I’m… Kikyo.”  

He was at least a head taller than her, stumbling upwards with a squint of the eye, circling her. Sniffing her like any other lump of meat. She tried not to think of how close he was, how easily he could snap her neck and drain the blood from the gap, or how often wolf demons ate humans alive. No one here would save her if-

“So we finally meet. I was starting to think we’d have to find you ourselves.” Eri and Ayumi did, occasionally, visit the Blue Zone so it was entirely possible that they had faced the demons under rare circumstances. Yuka most likely had to make up stories for them when they got caught and, knowing that she was their main excuse to leave, they had to mention her.

“Yes, it’s nice to… meet you too. I’m sorry, but Yuri didn’t really mention anyone here so…” He faked hurt, stumbling back into his seat. Kagome stayed where she was. With a confident smirk, he pointed to himself.

“I’m Koga, the leader of the Northern Wolf Demon Tribe.” She nodded, filing the name away for later. She would likely research it later on, to see how big of a hole Yuka had dug herself. He slapped the spot next to him. “Any friend of Yuri is a friend of ours! Sit down, sit down! Hey, get this girl a drink!”

“I-I’m actually supposed to meet someone here.”

“PFT! He can wait! Come on, this is your first time here, right? We’ll show you how it’s really done!” He was persistent, determined to trap her in this situation. Any attempts to get away, she assumed, would only cause trouble. A drunk demon was exceptionally dangerous. She forced herself to sit down next to him, cringing when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You know, Yuri talked a lot about you.”

‘Oh god what did she do?’

 

Koga, truth be told, hardly knew any of the girls that frequented the Leaking Brain. They rarely visited, and told very little about themselves, which he could respect considering how weak their demonic aura was; they were afraid of him. It appeared as though no matter how much effort he put into seeming friendly and safe, they were always skittish. Like lambs. Yuri was the only one that seemed to have a backbone, and even then he could smell her fear; disgustingly sweet.

Yuri, despite her weakness, was very loud and outspoken and never hesitated to threaten anyone that tried to start a fight with her or the other girls. He would give credit where it was due and say that when she needed to be she was quite fierce. It was the reason he liked her the most.

Kikyo was the enigma of the group. Always texting, always calling, there were rare times where he could actually hear her voice over the conversations, and he was drawn in. When he asked Yuri about the fourth member of their group she looked afraid; more than usual.

“Kikyo’s… a bit of a recluse. She doesn’t do well around other demons, and hides out in her room most of the time.”

He was only ever told small bits about her life. She lived alone, her family died when she was quite young, she loved technology, she told really bad jokes, and she once knocked out a cat demon with a baseball bat. When Yuri spoke of Kikyo she spoke with a certain pride; the strongest member of the group and, depending on what sort of demon she was, the alpha. It was frustrating how his curiousity was never satisfied, and no matter how often they asked Kikyo never joined them.

Yuri was certainly right in calling her a recluse. From what he heard, she rarely left the house at all. It was strange for him; he hated to stay in one place too long.

She radiated blind terror the moment that she was pushed into the crowd, and he could clearly see how desperate she was to escape; he did not need to be sober to see her panicked expression. Even sitting next to him, she closed in on herself as though trying to disappear. He could not imagine such a skittish figure knocking someone out, but then again…

There had been a single moment where he was certain. When she first glanced at him, in that moment where he was analysing her he could see a _sharpness_ to her expression. Calculating his every move, what he was thinking and what he could do, before she returned to her shy nature. A clever front to cunning.

‘Now why would she be like that?’ It was barely there, but he could feel a certain power radiate from the girl. A faint pinkish colour, she tried to conceal it as she buried herself. In his drunken haze, a number of stories twisted in his mind, telling him some tragic story or another that forced her to hide. It was unlikely, but it was one way to pass the time.

“So… Kikyo, who’s this person you’re meeting with?”

“Just a friend.” Her voice was different over the phone. It was lighter, more cheerful, and had a distinct sing-songy tune to it, and playful in her sarcasm. Here, her voice was gruff. “Boyfriend.”

He looked down at her attire. A black bomber jacket over a grey hoodie, worn skinny jeans and equally destroyed shoes. He very much doubted she was going on a date. ‘Friend’ most likely meant that she was being forced into coming out. His drunken tragic tale suddenly felt possible and while he celebrated his creative mind for it, he hoped that was all it was; a tale. The idea did very little to cheer him up.

He slapped a hand onto her shoulder, feeling her flinch. They always did, always expecting an attack that never came. She kept her face hidden.

“Look, you’re a friend of Yuri so you’re a friend of mine. If you’re running into trouble just you tell me and I’ll deal with it. I’ve helped Yuri plenty of times.” For a moment, he saw it. The flicker of a smile, or maybe a smirk, before her face was neutral once again. She did not believe him. She had no reason to; she just met him. They were all similar in that sense; it took a lot of hard work to convince them that he was not the ‘big bad wolf’ people made him out to be. Well, only sometimes. “Hell, tell us who the punk is and I’ll deal with him now.”

“No thank you. Excuse me a moment.” She was up before he could stop her, and already escaping into the crowd. He squinted at the space she once held. Yuri smelt vaguely of roses and dirt, but Kikyo smelt of lavender and pine. He found that he could not ignore it. Something in his mind telling him, begging him, to follow the mousey girl. He needed to follow her. Keep her here.

Instincts that he rarely ignored. _Could not ignore_. Digging into his brain, sending panic and adrenaline through his system. Telling him that she was in danger; she was putting herself in danger and someone needed to stop her. He would not admit it then, but he had a soft spot for shy, little things; something he was frequently mocked for. It was his curse that Yuri and her companions so often threw themselves into difficult situations; it was difficult to guard such reckless, _feeble_ demons.

‘Don’t let her escape.’ He stumbled, intending to find out who had dragged Kikyo out of her safety net.

 

Slipping into the stool at the bar, she blocked her ears against the music and sounds of cheering. Keeping her shoulders hunched, she waited for Hojo to pass her by before waving her hand. Being a human in such an open environment, he was a docile eager-to-please individual and this showed in how he stood and how there was a near constant, uncomfortable smile upon his face. That smile was shone in her direction as he caught her wave.

“What can I do for you?” Even his voice was gentle and fragile. She swore it would shatter into a million pieces if he put too much effort into it.

“I’m looking for a Wolf’s Blood for Green Bird.” She answered calmly, never letting her gaze waver. For a moment, he seemed paralysed, uncertain as to whether he had heard her correctly. “Wolf’s Blood. For Green Bird.” She said, careful to emphasise her words.

“O-oh, right, of course.” He turned his back, practically hopping over to the counter to make the strange cocktail. With a sigh, she dropped her head onto the bar. She had to spend another ten minutes in the bar before she had to leave and already she was getting a headache; she had no idea how the demons were handling it seeing as they were supposed to have better hearing than humans.

‘Maybe they’re going deaf.’ It was an amusing thought.

 

He finally spotted her at the bar with her head rested against the wooden countertop. He had lost her scent in the crowd, stuck in a thick mess of sweat and unfamiliar, unpleasant odours that made him nauseous; it was not until he reached the bar that he finally caught a whiff of lavender. He could almost choke on it, and he struggled to not pass out then and there.

He would not say it was an unpleasant smell. It was because it was such a pleasant smell that he wanted to fall asleep, but he was certain it was not natural. She was using some sort of cleaner; a human thing to do. How she had not passed out was even more baffling.

“Wolf’s Blood. For Green Bird.” Green Bird? Was it her nickname? He repeated the name, finding that it suited her better than ‘Kikyo’. A nervous song bird taken out of its gilded cage. It suited her indeed.

‘What the hell is a Wolf’s Blood?’ He had drunk every drink in the pub at least six times and had never heard of a Wolf’s Blood. He had never heard someone order it either. ‘It seems our Green Bird knows a few secrets.’

He practically collapsed into the seat next to her, almost falling out the moment he sat down; he definitely had too much to drink. He could barely process her yelp, or the undertones of pine that seeped out of her; was that her fear he was smelling or something else?

‘Why am I here again?’ He had to think about it for a moment. He had followed Kikyo because she was a friend of Yuri, and she was nervous and very, very breakable, and he thought that Yuri would be angry at him if anything happened to Kikyo. ‘No, that’s not it.’ It was part of the reason, but he could not remember the rest, only that he wanted to follow her, and he intended to do so.

“Hey, so you met this creep you’re supposed to be meeting?” He knew his words were slurred, grinning down at her. He did not know why she chose to wear the large hoodie; her face was fine enough. In fact, it was adorable, and without thinking of her reaction he leaned forward to get a closer look, falling forward when she leaned back, crashing into her shoulder.

“I think you’ve had enough.”

He was not listening. With his nose crammed between her hood and neck, he could smell her properly. Rather than the sickly sweet smell that radiated from her hair, he could smell salt. And something familiar, something he had not smelled in a very long time.

‘Something… edible.’ His exhausted mind could not comprehend what it could be, digging his nose closer to the smell trying to uncover what it could be. It was not until Kikyo was pushing him away that his brain reminded him of the fact that Kikyo was an extremely weak demon, and most likely waiting for him to bite her. ‘Shit… how do I…?’

“I think I’ve had enough too.” The uncomfortable truth was that he did not want to move, he wanted to stay exactly where he was, but he knew that Kikyo was becoming more and more agitated by the second. If she had come earlier in the evening he would have been much more successful in easing her discomfort, but all he could do in that moment was not pass out, and he was failing in even that. “Fuck, I’m gonna sleep here.”

“Wait, you can’t just-,”

 

He was out before she could even finish her sentence, slumped at an awkward angle and already pinning her in place. She was, in his world, his new pillow and she feared he would not let her go any time soon. This was how Hojo found her when he turned around bringing her drink with him.

She almost wanted to punch him when he cracked a smile at her, placing the bright red drink on the countertop.

“This is not funny.”

“Of course not.” When he turned back around, she could see his shoulders shaking. She freed a hand specifically to direct a middle finger at his back, trying to push the demon away. Much to her dislike, all it did was encourage him to wrap his arms around her, and then she was well and for truly trapped. She struggled to grab her phone.

 

**GreenBird has logged in**

**GreenBird: @RedBird Help me get your god damn demon friend off me or I’m going to rearrange your organs!**

**RedBird has logged in**

**RedBird: Lol can’t help you! Try tickling his ears if he’s not holding on**

**GreenBird: And if he is?**

**RedBird: Don’t move no matter what. He’s a grumpy demon**

**GreenBird: I think I might actually murder you**

**RedBird: hey at least you’re his type. Who knows maybe someone will get that stick out your ass**

**GreenBird: Go drown in a river.**

**RedBird: I heard wolf demons have a lot of stamina :P**

 

She slammed her phone against the counter, grumbling to herself, resting her head in her free hand as she was trapped against the demon which, if she moved too much, would prove to be exceptionally unpleasant. She glared accusingly at the Wolf’s Blood, before downing the drink.

She was stuck for ten minutes before one of the other wolf demons came into view and, upon seeing Koga carelessly snuggled up to the exhausted Kagome, tried to remove him. He clung on in his sleep, groaning out his protest at being taken away from his pillow. He ended up tearing her jacket, thankfully not her back, and the jacket was taken away with him to stop him from dragging her away from the pub.

“Sorry about this, normally he’s a lot less… this.” Another demon with grey and black hair spoke, wincing slightly when Kagome shoved her hands into her hoodie turning away from them. “He really is a good guy, though pretty dumb when he’s drunk. I swear next time he’ll be better.”

“It’s fine.” Her time here was spent, and she was eager to return home. She felt naked without her jacket, and drained from simply being in the presence of so many demons. The fact that her arm was suffering through the torment of pins and needles did little to help her sour mood.

“I’ll prove it to you. Come on over tomorrow and we’ll do it proper.” She smirked. She was not going to do that; she hoped this would be the very last time she had to come to the Leaking Brain.

“Of course, whatever you say.”

 

**GreenBird: Today was one of the most stressful days of my life.**

**BlueBird: So I’m guessin u got 2 the Leaking Brain safe?**

**Speed: Holy shit u wer in Leakin Brian? Never saw u!**

**GreenBird: I was kind of stuck with a drunk wolf demon the entire time. It was definitely not fun, but I did get to talk to a friend of mine so that was nice.**

**Speed: Wat! Wer u wit Koga?**

**BlueBird: What’s Koga?**

**Speed: Only the fastest demon evr. his dad controls ½ the city!**

**BlueBird: Shit. And this guy was just drunk chattin u up?**

**GreenBird: Not necessarily. He knows one of my friends and was trying to keep me out of trouble by keeping guard, but ended up passing out instead. His friends had to come and pick him up, and he clung to me like glue. I had to get rid of my jacket; it’s his now.**

**Speed: HA! LOL**

**BlueBird: Never say lol again. What happened next??**

**GreenBird: One of his friends invited me over tomorrow to prove that he isn’t normally like this. I didn’t refuse to his face but I don’t want to go back.**

**BlueBird: I hate 2 tell u this but I don’t think @RedBird can go back u will have 2 go again.**

**GreenBird: You are kidding, right?**

**BlueBird: Nope. :/**

**Speed: Hey mybe we can meet dis time!!!**

**GreenBird: You’re really going to make me do this?**

**BlueBird: Sorry the others can’t do it! I’ll pay u big time!**

**GreenBird: Do I have to dress pretty?**

**BlueBird: It might help if u wear nice shoes**

**Speed: Ill meet u up at de front an we can hang out!!**

**GreenBird: I guess I really have no choice in the matter. Fine, I’ll wear a nice pair of shoes, but you have to tell me what I’m supposed to be doing this time.**

**BlueBird: I’ll tell u before u go, promise! I owe u for this one!**

**GreenBird: Damn straight you do. If I get overcrowded by drunk wolf demons again I’m actually going to punch someone. I get that they are @RedBird’s friends but I just can’t deal with that sort of crowd. You know how nervous I am around that sort of crowd.**

**BlueBird: Sorry, I didn’t know they were around. Maybe they’ll be less rowdy this time since they want 2 prove a point**

**GreenBird: I feel like I’m going to get dragged into a drinking game and end up sleeping with their boss, which is something I really, really don’t want.**

**Speed: Hey hes not a bad choice to hve a 1 nght stand wit**

**BlueBird: And u would know?**

**Speed: I might. :P**

**GreenBird: I will pass on the one night stand. I don’t want to be trapped in his embrace any time soon; that was far too unpleasant. I still can’t feel my arm. Talk to you all later.**

**GreenBird has logged out**

**Speed: It’s a match made in heven!!!**

**RedBird has logged in**

**RedBird: Get fucking wrecked @GreenBird**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's nothing but trouble but he can't help but be pulled in, and she's doing everything she can to pull away without hindering her own work.

**GottaGoFast: Heeeeeey!**

**GottaGoFast: Heeeeeeey Koga!**

**GottaGoFast: Koga wake your ass up!**

**SpeedyGonzales: Leave him man hes totally passed out right now**

**GottaGoFast: Its 12!**

**SpeedyGonzales: Bet he wont be up til 5**

 

Koga found himself curled up in a bundle of blankets and furs with his nose rammed in a large bomber jacket that reeked of lavender, the thing that had finally knocked him out, and salt. He groaned; it was an unpleasant fabric and quite cheap. It was definitely made of plastic.

‘Why the hell do I have this?’ Dragging himself upwards, he looked around expecting to find company. He was alone in his flat and it was as clean as it had always been. No clothes scattered on the floor, nothing knocked over, no claw marks. ‘No one night stands then.’ He rubbed his forehead, trying to remember what he had been doing the night before.

His memories were caught in a haze of colours and smells, the muffled voice of someone that did not want to be anywhere near him. He remembered collapsing into someone and a drink called ‘Wolf’s Blood’.

‘Ah, Kikyou.’ Yuri’s friend. He had finally met the enigma, but had passed out before he could really learn anything about her. He looked down at the jacket still held firmly in his hands. He had clung onto her, desperate to keep something warm close to him; alcohol always made him cold and she was the nearest source of heat. He was holding her jacket, which meant that the others had to tear him off. He winced. ‘Not the best way to introduce yourself.’

He opened up the jacket. It was definitely cheap, and she would have been freezing in it. The tag was cut off and there were multiple stitches holding certain parts together. The pockets had various calling cards in them. Some were from the Orange District, some were from the Yellow, and the rest were from the Red. Those were areas that consisted mostly of humans; probably the only safe place for a weak demon like her. He frowned, turning one of the cards over.

Berry’s 2.30-6.30

He knew that it was some sort of chain restaurant that was popular with humans. He wondered briefly if she worked there, or if she were supposed to meet someone. Judging by the time, she was working there.

‘I should pay her a visit.’ Give her back her jacket. ‘Or get her a new one.’ Something that would actually keep her warm. He nodded to himself, deciding to fix last night’s mistakes. He wanted Kikyou to like him.

 

**HalfDog: Got the message gonna fuck them up**

**GreenBird: Don’t get caught, it’s already a mess with whatever Slayer did.**

**HalfDog: What sort of idiot do you think I am I’ll be fine I’ll update you later on**

**GreenBird: I’ll be at the Leaking Brain this evening so I’ll keep an eye out for any trouble with the masses.**

**HalfDog: Don’t forget what @BlueBird told you to do**

**GreenBird: Trust me I don’t have a choice in the matter.**

 

She was still half dressed when she closed her screen, taking her time in getting changed. She did not sleep a wink that night, fully on edge and deeply unsettled, still feeling the tension in her body no matter how much she stretched in the enclosed space. It would be some time before she felt secure, leaving her room a mess until even that was considered a better way to pass the time, tossing her clothes into the washing machine, and then stripping the bed. No robots to clean her messes.

Then she was sitting on the mattress in a vest and underwear staring up at the ceiling, the screen following her as she flicked through various news sources. She was on the hunt for Koga of the Northern Wolf Tribe. She needed to know more about him, to know how deep of a hole Yuka had dug herself before tossing her in.

‘The Fastest Demon In The World.’ He broke international records with his fastest known record being 200mph and he was still growing in power. The youngest Alpha of the Northern Wolf Tribe having taken over some five hundred years ago as an adolescent. Like most wolf demons, his interactions with humans consisted almost entirely of eating them, and this was the case for the rest of his tribe, and this was the case even in modern times. She shut the screen. It was naïve to hope that he had any good opinion of her sort, huffing up at the ceiling, staring at the grey panels before opening the screen one more time.

 

**GreenBird: The wolf and his posse eat people, so this will be the last time I interact with them and I hope it shall be the last time you do so. He already got a good whiff of my neck last night, but he was too drunk to recognise the smell.**

**RedBird logged in**

**RedBird: Well shit son I thought he was friendly I’ll let the others know to stay clear of him**

**GreenBird: Thank you. I will still do tonight’s mission but honestly after that I do not want to risk being a little snack.**

**RedBird: With how much figure you have I doubt you would be a little snack :P**

**GreenBird: Go suck a cock.**

**RedBird: After you**

**RedBird: Did you get the message?**

**GreenBird: Yes I did. It should be easy, but I said that last time and now look at me.**

**RedBird: Just seduce the enemy you can do it!**

**GreenBird: Tell you what, you come back and you can get laid with the wolf tribe.**

**RedBird: I’d love to but the trains too slow D:**

**GreenBird: I’ll put them under the sofa and in the ceiling panels if I can. Room 3, correct?**

**RedBird: Thaaaaaat’s right!**

**GreenBird: It should be interesting recording this. I’ll let you know how it goes when I come back from work.**

**GreenBird logged out**

 

Eventually there was nothing she could do around the tiny apartment, and she dragged herself into her work clothes. She hated the bright orange dress and apron; orange was not her colour. However, she worked in the Orange District and so all uniforms were orange, pinning her tag to the band on her apron, squinting at herself in the mirror. There were bags under her eyes which were bloodshot. She tied her hair back into a pony tail, splashing cold water onto her face and pinching her cheeks trying to make them rosy.

She still looked tired.

‘Whatever, it’s not like they’ll care a great deal.’ She was not one to fuss over her appearance under normal circumstances. She would worry when it came to the Leaking Brain when she needed to do everything she possibly could to seem demon.

 

Being around so many humans made him unbearably hungry, but he was holding himself back if not because of Kikyou then because he was curious about the sort of food this ‘Berry’s’ sold. If they fed just humans then he was certain it was unpleasant artificial stuff, and that he would be more than capable of eating everything they had; if he did not hate the taste.

They knew he was a demon, and a strong one at that, and purposefully kept their distance hiding into their little crevices like ants. A mother pulling her children back inside, abandoning the ball they had been playing with. Shutters closed with eyes watching from the gaps, people stepping away from the windows and into the restaurants where he might decide to eat someone else. If Kikyou lived with such people it was no wonder that she was so skittish.

‘These humans turned her into a coward.’ It rubbed him the wrong way, a snarl escaping his throat. A pregnant woman immediately turned the opposite direction and crossed the road. Humans. He should have eaten something before he came here, they were making his temper worse.

Finally, he saw the white and orange sign of ‘Berry’s’ sticking out over the stone-built building. It was written in English, in cursive. He could see her inside taking orders. Taking orders of humans. With a plastic smile and a hideous orange dress and apron, she looked artificial. He considered turning back, but he was holding the new jacket in his hand and he did want to apologise to her. He glanced back at the food, sighing before pushing himself through the door, bell chiming above him.

“Hello, I’m Kagome and welcome to Ber-,” The voice he heard so many times over the phone before was cut short. She had called herself Kagome. The nervousness of the night before was gone, filled instead with absolute terror. He could smell its overwhelming power, far stronger than it ever was before. Not a good start.

“Heya, I came back to return your jacket.”

She did not move, barely breathed at all. The humans all stared at him in horror, some already trying to leave the restaurant through the back door. He would smirk if it were not already ruining Kikyou ‘Kagome’s business, and if she were not looking at him with the same terror.

“T-thank you.” Her hands were shaking as she took it from him, pausing briefly. Her brows furrowed, only for a second, before she tucked it over her arm refusing to look at him. He could see the tension in her shoulders, and the person at the register paralysed in watching her; they probably thought he was going to eat her.

“Well, I was going to eat here but I think I’m scaring off your business.” Her nervous laugh was unpleasant, the entire experience feeling extremely uncomfortable for him. He did not like the people escaping, and he disliked her fear even more so.

‘Can’t a demon grab a bite in peace?’ Maybe not in a human-dense community but it still annoyed him. The other girls likely lived in the same area; it would be difficult to talk to any of them if this was where they lived.

“Yeah, sorry, the last powerful demon that came around these parts ate ten people children included.” He would have done the same if the others were with him, grateful then that he had decided to go alone. It was clear that Kikyou ‘Kagome’ was close to humans, or at least needed them around to live, ignoring the voice in his head that said that could be fixed. “U-um, do you want to come in or…?”

“Nah, I’ll come around next time.” When he was less hungry, and the people less afraid. Maybe he could even catch Kikyou ‘Kagome’ on her break, smiling down at her. “See you tonight.”

 

He found himself smacking his head on the table several hours later, cursing himself for his impulsiveness. Kikyou, or was her name Kagome, was a recluse and like her friends probably hated her life being imposed upon. She worked with humans, and her boss was a human. She was probably fired by that human because a demon knew her, and a strong one that ate humans at that. She probably hated him just as much as she feared him, because he was too stupid and pushed where he should not have because he wanted to make a good impression as fast as he could.

‘A great load of good that fucking did you.’ The title would always stay with him. It was natural with humans, they were supposed to fear him, but he did not want people he liked to see the ‘Big Bad Wolf’, he hated that title and everything it stood for. He would not be surprised if she told her friends and he would never see them either. One moment of impulsiveness would hack apart a small fragment of what was becoming his pack.

He hated the whine that came out of his throat more, so he drank to drown it out. If he drank enough maybe he would forget the whole thing. He was being too optimistic, and it would take a great deal more than beer to get him drunk enough to forget.

 

She had tried to convince someone else to take her place, but she was the only one that was free to go to the Leaking Brain. If she could, she would punch Yuka for putting her in such danger. However Yuka  was far away from her, and would not be back for some time. Two weeks at best. She did not explain what she was doing, only that it was important and to make up for having been caught last time.

Kagome was not normally one for make-up, and certainly not for dressing up. Her wardrobe ranged from homeless to casual, with a stolen black dress tucked into the corner. She only had a pair of old boots and leggings to go with it, and definitely nothing flashy. By the time she had changed she honestly considered the benefits of just going in with her well-worn hoodie.

‘Dress nice they said.’ She scoffed, searching the drawer for old make-up. There was some concealer, and some foundation. A tube of stolen red lipstick was the only other thing in the drawer. ‘Doesn’t matter what else you’re wearing, if you’re wearing red lipstick no one will notice a thing.’ Eri was the one that told her that, and it held true for her so far. Trying not to frown at her reflection, she went to work trying to amplify her charm.

 

An hour into drinking and he was finally touching upon tipsy and was slowly accepting the grim fate that he had scared Kikyou away. With his head resting against the table, Ginta attempted to console him as he watched the front. He had not told the others what he had done, only that Kikyou would not come and had remained obstinate while they waited for the shy demon.

“Wait, who’s that?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen her before.”

“I think it’s Kikyou.”

“Hey Kikyou!” He turned his head, willing himself to not shout at his pack to shut their mouths when he caught her smell. Lavender and pine. Salt, and sweetly cooked-

“You came!” Before he could reason with himself, he shot up from the table and ran up to her. He only barely stopped himself from tackling her into a hug, far too fragile for that, and took her by the hands instead. “I thought I had frightened you off.”

“You almost did, and I certainly got a nagging from my boss bringing in dangerous customers.” Instead of the gruff undertone he had heard before, he finally heard her natural sing-songy tone that was cut short in the restaurant. He would be embarrassed to admit that he could listen to it all day. A part of him felt smug in the fact that she was wearing the jacket he had bought her. His gift. His-

“I didn’t expect such a hostile response, them being human and such.” He felt her hands twitch in his own. If they were free, he suspected they would be held into fists, if the souring of her expression was not something to go by. Her smile had unsettled him somewhat, the same plastic smile she used on the customers; she definitely liked her humans. “T-that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with being human.”

“I should hope so, especially when you realise how dangerous they are in a crowd. In this world, they tend to stick together, although I very much doubt you care about such things.” Thoroughly scolded, she gently pulled her hands free. It was definitely not how he was intending for the day to go. A good impression. He was supposed to make her want to be around them, and all he was doing was pushing her away.

‘Idiot.’ When did he get so bad at talking? He was a naturally confident person, and it had only increased over the years with experience and his accomplishments; he took pride in the success of his pack and despite difficulties he had managed to do well in society and was popular with his own kind whether they were strong demons or not. Kikyou was not the first to shake his nerves, and it was unlikely that she would be the last, but it was unsettling to be seen with such eyes by what was, through no fault of her own, a pack member. A pack member that should be lower than him that he would normally force into submission.

But she was already in submission, and creeping away from their pack with each conversation and with each strained smile. Hakkaku and Ginta were already calling her sis and gloating their stories, many of them false, and he could see the smile become sharper with each mention of a human in distain, and he could see her knuckles grow whiter and whiter.

“Enough about the humans!” He did not intend for his voice to be so loud, but they fell silent immediately. They knew he was angry, but they did not know why. They only knew that if they talked about humans anymore there was no certainty as to what he would do; he did not lose his temper often enough for him to be predictable.

“Excuse me for a moment.” This time he was able to follow her before she disappeared into the crowd, snatching her by the arm.

“I’m sorry, they’re just- they don’t know-,” Was it the alcohol or his own nervousness, it was difficult to say.

“It’s quite alright, I know how demons feel about humans.” She pulled her arm away as he processed the sentence. It sounded unusual to his ears. The skittishness, the different names, the smell… she was growing to be more and more confusing, and there were no answers for him. There would be none if she walked away for good. He needed to follow her. That cursed need to trail after her a noose around his neck. It was sickening how pack instincts controlled him; he blamed the alcohol but knew that even sober he was bound to them.

 

It was a good thing she had not eaten before they began talking or she might have been sick. It would be difficult to get the stories out of her head; the sheer about of violence and the delight taken in human suffering. The fighting and the screaming… she could hear their screams as she slipped through the crowd.

She needed to reach the V.I.P rooms upstairs. It would be difficult getting past the security, and even more difficult getting out of sniffing range, if such a thing were possible. Normally she was the one working behind the screen giving Yuka the instructions, but now she was relying on her own screen hoping that the information would process fast enough for her to escape danger.

There were two security guards, and she recognised them as the thunder demon and the lizard demon from the night before. She glanced at the lizard and then at the other demon, trying to figure out how to get past them; they had a mediocre communication system that would be easy to hack into. Tucking herself into the corner, she opened up her screen and began typing.

Their boss had a very distinct voice that was difficult to duplicate without the technology to do it.

‘Thankfully I’m a genius.’ She thought smugly, closing the screen as she searched for the bathroom. There was no one inside, so she locked herself in one of the stalls and brought forth her screen. It would probably be easier to send a message rather than use a voice, but it would be more suspicious. ‘Why not do both.’

 

She was gone. Disappearing into the crowd once again, smoke through his fingertips. It was driving him insane, and he loathed to admit that there was a thrill in searching for her; hunting for prey that put up a fight. He shook the thought away, blaming the alcohol. She was not prey, he was not going to eat her. Although she was ravishing in that-

‘No!’ He was not trying to scare her away, and she was definitely not going to warm his bed. Pack member, pack member, very nervous pack member. Nothing else. It was at the edge of the crowd that he caught a whiff of that delightful, tormenting smell. It drew him in, begging him to have a nip. He should not have fallen asleep on her the night before, should not have taken her jacket, because he was stuck to it now. It would not leave his thoughts.

He forced himself to relax his hands, but knew that he was still prowling. He caught her slipping out of the bathroom, looking around before creeping towards the V.I.P section. Was it the person that she had to meet before? The so-called ‘boyfriend’.

‘The one that it blackmailing her.’ In his story, at least. People moved aside as he began to growl, intending to follow her to deal with the person that was threatening his pack. Nobody threatened his pack and lived to see the next day.

 

She waited for them to move on the screen before creeping up the vibrant red stairs, keeping close to the ground until she reached the corridor. There were five V.I.P rooms and only two in use at that moment. Room three would be put to use in fifteen minutes, and she only had fifteen minutes to do what she needed to do.

‘I can do it in two.’ She took a credit card and slipped it into the crack between the door and the doorframe, sliding it up to push open the lock. ‘Honestly old locks are more difficult to open.’ She did not even need to hack them. She glanced down the hallway, making sure that she had not been followed before opening the door, shutting it behind her.

“Damn, I’m losing money just being in here.” The Leaking Brain was not an especially expensive place, but it knew how to make its customers feel wealthy, and it was certainly more expensive than her usual standard of living. The floor was plush and a blood red, she could imagine that there were blood splatters blended into it, with the furniture made of dark oak and the ceiling lights adding a romantic glow to the room. She knew that there was unpleasant business in the room before, and that was why she was there.

Although they would be in disguise, there was a small government meeting that would be taking place in the room regarding a number of laws that would be settled by the end of the year. While it would undoubtedly cause trouble for humans, Kagome also knew that a number of demons would suffer for it too, and her intentions were to record the entire session and make this information public. Alongside bringing in the problem of demon politics, she had a sneaking suspicion that the shady deals involved would help her along the way.

She crawled under the sofa and began setting up listening devices. They would not know what hit them until it was too late.

 

Koga kicked down the door, claws and teeth bared. He heard Kikyou scream, and a loud thunk, briefly acknowledging that she was under the sofa.

“Alright you bastards time to-,” There was no one in the room. It was just him and Kikyou. No blackmailing, no threats, no abuse. He saw Kikyou scramble from under the sofa, using the piece of furniture as a barricade between herself and himself. With his claws still bared, and ready to fight, it was only natural that she was startled, but her situation only made him suspicious.

“I can explain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this last minute when I realised it was a day late. I'll probably end up going over it with tears in my eyes as I realise how many spelling or grammar errors there are in it (outside of chat logs). Thanks to everyone for reading so far.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All according to keikaku

She stood there, paralysed by her fear; a very unpleasant demon standing between her and the only exit. She could feel adrenaline pushing through her system daring her to test her luck and try to run past him. Her brain told her that she did not stand a chance, and she did not; not unless she was willing to put herself in greater danger. She could not physically run away from her situation and could not fight her way out, so she had to use the only other muscle that was just as efficient: her tongue.

She clenched and unclenched her hands, and turned away. She held her breath, counting the seconds before letting her shoulders slump, slowly letting the breath escape her lips.

“You’re going to laugh at me.” She sounded too high-pitched, too forced. Her hands would not stop shaking and her legs were so tense they ached. She tried to get them to relax, but they refused to; the situation was too dangerous to relax in their personal opinion “I just- I just really wanted to see the V.I.P rooms, okay?”

“…what?” She furrowed her brows, hunching her shoulders and trying to sink further into herself.

“You know where I live. I don’t really get to see this sort of stuff. I don’t get to go to places like this.” She mumbled the last part, knowing full well that with ears like his he could hear her perfectly.

He did not know her well enough to trust her. She knew this, accepted this, and when he was silent she could not control the impulsive scratching at her arms.

He circled around her, leaning to see under the sofa she had just tagged. It did not take him a great deal of effort to find the small recording device, holding it between his index finger and thumb.

“And I suppose you had nothing to do with this?” She grit her teeth, cursing Yuka as she slowly began to shuffle backwards. She would never be able to fight him. If he decided that she was too much trouble she was a dead woman, and no amount of spiritual power would save her.

No lie would help her here.

She slumped into the sofa, defeated.

“It’s was going to be used to record the conversation some big wigs were going to have here.”

“I figured out that much.” She winced at the tone in his voice. “What were they going to do?”

“I only know rumours.” Her entire life was based around rumours and the scraps of information she could gather from gossip. However, it was Eri that told her about this particular incident. “A friend of mine… she heard they were going to be slipping in a controversial law next week without going through parliament. I was supposed to find out whether this was true.”

“And what was this law going to be?” The anger was gone from his voice. She did not look up as he sat in the sofa opposite her. She briefly wondered if he was the sort of demon that disliked authority as much as HalfDog. It was entirely possible; Kagome knew very little about Koga’s life and did not have nearly enough time to research the rest of his life.

“Sterilisation of humans and lower class demons.” There was a low whistle as he leaned back in the sofa.

“I can see why you’d be wanting to catch _that_ conversation.” She could only nod.

He said nothing. She waited for him to do something, anything, to give away what he was thinking. Her targets would be arriving soon, and she needed the recording device. She needed to take it from him.

“Okay. I’ll let it pass.” He slammed it on the table, rising from the sofa. “But I’m not letting you go off on your own again. Fuck knows what else you’ll get yourself into.”

She stared for a moment, watching his face for any sort of deception. Instead, there was a grin on his face. She could not help but smile back.

“I make no promises.”

 

She had not protested when he slammed the door behind them, dragging her along the hallway. Back down the stairs, back to the group where it was safe. Even though she was never truly in danger; if he had not noticed her absence she would have slipped out of the scene easily. Although Hiten and Manten would have a few problems with someone sneaking past their security to have a look at the V.I.P rooms.

‘Where are those bastards anyway?’ He did not see them anywhere, with two separate guards taking their place at the doors.

“Hey, Koga, keep your conquests out the V.I.P!” One of them shouted. He could feel Kikyo/Kagome bristle at the comment, and snarled back at them. Pine radiated from her, fully embarrassed by the mere suggestion of being with him; he had never even thought of it. Too skittish for his liking. He liked a challenge.

“You have something to do with Hiten and Manten?” A slight smirk answered him.

“Oops.” Maybe not too skittish after all.

He only relaxed his grip when she was back in the security of their pack. With demons he could trust. And now with demons that had the common sense to keep their human stories to themselves; he did not want to lose his only chance. Kikyo/Kagome finally settled down next to Hakkaku and Ginta; they would keep her secure. He had already caught Ginta calling her ‘sis’ more than once.

“I’m not really a big drinker so-,”

“Shots!”

The blaring demands of ‘protect’ eased out of his mind, and finally he felt himself relax. Awareness of the absence of the other three girls, however, kept him from truly relaxing. It was wrong having parts of the pack so far away. He could not sense their presence, did not know what they were doing, or what was happening to them. They could be in danger. He had not seen them in a very long time.

“Hey, Kikyo?” Kikyo/Kagome did not answer, talking to Ginta. Ginta was watching with wide excitable eyes as she talked. He could barely understand the words coming out of her mouth; discussing some new form of technology that could hack into chips in people’s brains. It sounded violent, and he was glad he had no such chip himself. No hackers for him. “Kikyo?”

Another beer. How many pints had he downed? Still not as terrible as he had been the night before, but if he grabbed Kikyo/Kagome he might bruise something. How did he let himself get involved in this again? He did not normally drink so much.

“Kagome?” She reacted. With a sharp twist she turned to stare at him. He only caught a glimmer of surprise before she schooled her face, but she could not pretend that she did not hear him now. Kagome. “Where are the others?”

“The others…? Yuri’s been moved somewhere quite far for the next two weeks by her job. The others are just working extra hours to pay rent.”

He did not forget that they all lived in rather difficult circumstances. No demon with money would live in the Orange District surrounded by such repulsive humans, although Kagome did not seem to mind their company, and he dared to think that she rather enjoyed being amongst them. It made no sense to him, but if it made her happy he was not going to complain.

“It’s not right that you should be living that way. You’re all part of the pack, so you should stay with us.” There was a strange look in her eyes, squinting at the group of men with a slight raised brow. Not a single woman in sight, and perhaps that is where the problem began. And it was not as though wolves were known for dismissing their… interests. He had seen a few of his men eye up the other girls, and Kagome was not safe from their stares either. Very uncomfortable for someone who did not know wolves very well. “Relax, there are girls there.”

He waited for her to either accept the offer, or to say he should not burden himself with her matters as the others had. She did not respond with apologies or gratitude, but instead changed the subject.

“Who’re they?” The slight nod of her head, and the sharpness in her eyes gave her away. She knew who they were, and so did he.

 

A small group of politicians under the guise of ordinary citizens in tacky shirts and jeans; a fragile attempt at normalcy. In the grand scheme of things they were shockingly weak, and definitely not human; all horn and green skin with bug eyes and limbs far too long for their bodies. They could not even pretend to be humans, and she doubted they ever felt the need to; their egos were as big as their eyes.

And yet they were quite strong. Not in the physical sense, but they were cunning and clever; symbolism shined through in the fact that at least half of them were actual snake demons. She did not flinch when one turned to glare at her. With white scaly skin, and a forked tongue that was always hanging outside his mouth, there were no attempts to hide his nature; either very bold or very stupid.

“Never seen them before.”

“I think they’ve been on the TV a few times?” Ginta pointed out, scratching his neck.

“Yeah, I think they’re politicians.”

“Probably going up to the V.I.P lounge.” To Room Three, specifically. She had checked their reservation. Finally, she turned away. She downed her shot, cringing at the taste. Koga was watching her like a hawk. He did not seem to be aware of the fact that he was staring, licking his lips before finishing his drink. She could feel his eyes on her as she checked her watch, and saw him stand up as she began to rise from her seat.

“I’m going to have to go home. I have work tomorrow.”

“I’ll walk you there!” She cringed at the loudness of his voice, briefly wondering how much he had drank before she had arrived. She made to protest, but he was already at her side and pushing her through the crowd.

 

The smell was driving him mad. He knew he recognised it somewhere, and it was pushing him to the very edge trying to figure out what it could be. It took all of his self-restraint to not cram his nose into the crook of her neck, to find its source and end his suffering. The scent was blocked by cheap shampoo in her hair, and her clothes muffled the natural scent. If he were a savage he would simply tear the coat off and find out the easy way.

She did not say a word as he walked alongside her, instead taking to watching him; anticipating something. He would wrap his arm around her shoulders the moment he saw someone suspicious, but nothing ever came of it.

When her phone began to ring he jumped, and then pushed her behind him, all teeth and claws. Only when the scream turned into a song did he realise that it was her.

“Sorry. Yuri’s idea of a joke.” She responded, flustered as she turned the alarm off. He kept his claws and teeth at the ready, however, as they continued down to the Orange District.

Even after ten minutes of steady walking he could not identify the smell. They stood at the border, and he hated the nervous look on her face when he pulled her back. It could shift to fear or shame at any moment or, perhaps, to anger.

“Sorry for this.” Before she could protest, he dipped down and pressed his nose into the crook of her neck, and breathed in. He barely felt the punch in his gut as he breathed in the intoxicating smell.

‘God- I love it.’ That was his first response. Salt and the very, very faint smell of something sweet. Something he could eat, and he was daring for a bite. He could drown in the smell; a drug that blurred his other senses. Part of him registered the sweetness as something deadly. He still did not know why he recognised the smell. He did not care, he only needed-

He felt the pull. She had almost dislocated his tail. There were tears in his eyes as he nursed the wounded appendage. It pulled him out of his fervour, noting new bruise on her neck. Had he done that? He did not bite her; could barely remember doing anything. All he wanted was to smell her. Did he leave a hickey?

“I told you to stop!” She snarled, crossing her arms and glaring at him, her face bright red. Her smell radiated from her; she was ashamed.

“Shit, sorry. I- I don’t know what came over me.” It must have been the alcohol. The alcohol and the smell that was making him do things. Stupid, dangerous things. She glared at him, claws and teeth in her own right. There was something deeply unsettling about the power she was radiating; not strong in the demonic sense but he bristled regardless. Even weak demons could be dangerous when cornered. He almost felt like getting on his knees and begging for forgiveness, but even in his guilt he would never stoop that low.

“Yuri warned me that wolves were… rambunctious.” She would not say the word. “But we don’t work that way, so please don’t do it again. And if you do, next time I’ll take the tail off.”

It should not have excited him. He should have felt nervous at the threat, but instead he stood a little taller and smirked down at her. It was definitely the alcohol that was affecting him; he was reckless and irrational. That night was about showing her that he was anything but the stereotype that wolf demons had been written off as.

“Why don’t you show me home and I’ll show you how rambunctious we can be.” She spluttered at the response, and he regretted it the moment that he said it. He did not see her that way, was not supposed to. He certainly had no intentions of having a one-night stand with pack. He would never do something so disgusting. “I’m joking, relax.”

“Good, because I wasn’t.” He raised his hands in false surrender. He doubted she would ever be able to get near his tail, at least now that he was aware of the threat. Not that he intended to repeat that night’s actions. No more drinking when she was around.

“Considering the topic, this is going to sound pretty ridiculous, but can I have your number? Just to make sure you don’t run into trouble.”

“You’re right, after what just happened that does seem suspicious.” Despite this, she gave him her number and then took out her phone. “Okay, now you.”

 

**GreenBird: I have the whole thing being recorded right now.**

**HalfDog: Sweet when do you think it'll be done**

**GreenBird: Well, it’s been recording for a few hours and I’m transferring the data to my computer right now.**

**YellowBird: So theyre probably all hammered right now and talking bull?**

**GreenBird: I’ll keep recording until they leave the room just in case and then edit it later on if they stop saying interesting things.**

**HalfDog: Any idea about when you’ll get it on the system**

**GreenBird: Depends on how large the audio file is by the end, but it should be up by lunch time at the latest.**

**YellowBird: Great well delete all chat logs when thats done**

**HalfDog: Will we have to change usernames or have you got that covered**

**YellowBird: Its alllllll under control just get out of dodge before it hits the mainstream**

**GreenBird: I think I’ll have to anyway. Wolfie got a little too touchy last night, and left a mark on my neck that I can’t rub away.**

**RedBird logged in**

**RedBird: So you got giggedy with the horny man :3c**

**GreenBird: Fuck off @RedBird it was terrifying. I ended up having to yank on his tail to get him to let me go.**

**RedBird: Damn sounds like he was really getting into it maybe you’re the sex god**

**GreenBird: I’m going to delete you.**

**RedBird: Don’t be that way you know you love me!!**

Kagome clicked out of the program, opening another screen to watch the group of snake demons leave the room. She did not need a recording device for that, taking advantage of the personal security.

She waited for them to leave before checking the progress on her audio. It would take an hour to transfer the whole thing over, leaning back in her chair and spinning before crossing her legs. It was a shame that she would lose the apartment, but the space was small enough and it were not as though she expected to stay there too long.

‘And now to the fun bit.’ Koga and his pack were a difficult bunch to deal with. Perhaps it was because of the fact that they were animal demons, but none of them had chips in the brain, but a few had chips in the wrist.

She had done her research and learned that the ones with chips in their wrists were part of the police force, and Koga was quite high ranking. A demon that prevented petty crime within his own space, keeping demons from tearing each other apart. There were no laws saying that he needed to defend humans, however, and she doubted he even acknowledged them on a good day. It was amusing, however, that he let her break a few laws that day. Maybe he was a rebel.

‘Now, how can I use the wrist chips to my advantage?’ She could not wipe memory with something such as that. She could not think of any virus that could wipe the memory through a wrist chip.

**GreenBird: @YellowBird do you know any chemicals or poisons that can confuse the eyes? I don’t want anyone in the group to remember what I look like when I leave.**

**YellowBird: Hmmmmmmmm**

**YellowBird: I know a few things but I cant say whether I can get them in by tomorrow**

**GreenBird: Damn. I was hoping to clear them as soon as possible: none of them have brain chips.**

**HalfDog: I have something nearby if you give me a drop off point**

**GreenBird: Will it work on some thirty demons?**

**HalfDog: At least for a few days but after that you’re on your own**

**RedBird: Sounds like your life story @GreenBird**

**RedBird: I think I know what you’re talking about I used it when I left the group too**

**GreenBird: That might explain why they thought I was you to start with.**

**RedBird: They did??**

**GreenBird: Until they got close. But they still knew your name and people you mentioned. It did not wipe you out completely.**

**RedBird: It was only supposed to be short term but I guess long term is needed now**

**GreenBird: Until the group either forgets me, or until they’ve finished the case and find nothing.**

**RedBird: I get the feeling Wolfie might end up working on the case**

**RedBird: The closest thing he’ll get to second base with you :P**

**GreenBird: Seriously. If they catch me I’m rooting you out first.**

**HalfDog: Dropping the stuff off in the usual place good luck**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to get to this. I'm actually finishing my last year in university and have three pieces of work to finish up before graduation day! Thankfully I managed to get this out today. Hope you like it!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan begins to fall into place.

The day went by with little trouble beyond the occasional scuffle but as the day dragged on Koga could not help but feel anxious or, rather, tense the more he thought of Kagome’s actions the night before. She had not sent anything since she had returned home, but he could not control the suspicions from creeping into his mind. Did someone find the recorder? Did someone break into her house? Was she being tortured right now? The government was not known for its kindness towards lower-class demons especially if those demons happened to disrupt their plans.

‘At least I know why they’re so skittish.’ The thought did little to comfort him; instead it aggravated him. If he could convince them that the pack would not give them away they would be safer and finally he could sleep easy. Her jacket, the one he almost threw away, only mocked him with the distance. He could finally throw it away when they were in the den.

When his shift ended, all he could say was that it had been an average afternoon. Beyond scuffles a few humans had tried to cross the borders and were promptly killed. He had the decency to let the children be returned to the Yellow district; Kagome’s sharp eyes watched the execution of the parents. Hakkaku and Ginta ate what was left once the children were sent away. They tasted stale to him.

By the time it was dinner time he had decided to stop waiting for Kagome’s plan, whatever it may be, to happen and instead texted her asking if she would be joining them at the Leaking Brain. He was going to convince her to move into the den with her friends. They would need more pillows, and more blankets.

‘Or would they prefer chairs?’ He did not know how such demons slept. He would simply have to ask them.

He jumped when he got a response. Ignoring all of the worried inquiries and questions, Kagome only answered the last text with a simple:

**I’ll be there.**

It was difficult to wipe the smile off his face afterwards.

 

There was seldom a day when it was not hot in the Orange District. Whether through the crowded streets or the excessive use of open fires, she seldom felt the need to wrap up and the tan lines were prominent as she changed into something more revealing.

‘Got to use what I have, and Yuka did say I had the figure for it.’ It was an uncomfortable thought and the concept of people ogling over her was… disgusting. ‘At least if it’s the pack it’ll only be for the day.’

That morning she caught only a glimmer of HalfDog. He never stayed long, and he never spoke. He kept his head down and always wore a hat to hide his ears: even a half-demon was seen as dangerous in the Orange District. She pitied him: belonging to neither one world or the other.

She waited ten minutes before opening the public mailbox. She took the large brown envelope from the piles of letters before shutting the door and returning to her room. Most of her equipment had been dismantled and was due to be thrown away. It was a shame, but she could not leave anything behind.

She pulled out a small vial from the envelope, a small slip of paper attached to the lid.

‘One drop per person for a three day wipe out?’ It was powerful; she was impressed and slightly unsettled. ‘Just what the hell is in this?’ There was no list of ingredients.

 

**GreenBird has logged in**

**GreenBird: If someone can burn my house down by this afternoon I’d be happy.**

**RedBird has logged in**

**RedBird: Ooooo thats the first time i’ve heard someone request that**

**RedBird: Get your shit out by 1**

**GreenBird: Thank you. @YellowBird @BlueBird Get yourselves out by one o’clock sharp. I’ll be moving into the countryside after I upload the file.**

**YellowBird has logged in**

**BlueBird has logged in**

**BlueBird: I have already gotten out of Dodge and am setting up my own death**

**YellowBird: I’m supposing you got @HalfDog’s body then?**

**BlueBird: Yep its pretty ugly too**

**BlueBird: But a fire will cover that all up**

**BlueBird: What about you**

**YellowBird: I am enjoying a lovely cup of tea**

**GreenBird: Meet you all at the Leaking Brain tonight. We need to make sure they forget all of us. Dress pretty: I am.**

**RedBird: One last attempt to win the heart of your wolf man :3c**

**GreenBird: It would be a shame if you were caught in the fire.**

When they crossed the bridge from the Orange District to the Blue District Kagome could not help but notice the increased security. They stopped at the midway point, knowing that it would not be possible to simply cross over as they would on an ordinary day. She could see the blood splatters and bones: a recent killing.

The wolf pack were most likely involved in that, as disgusted as she was in simply thinking it. She rubbed the palms of her hands against her jeans. It would do her no good to think of such things just before she met them.

Ayumi gently prodded her shoulder, an understanding look in her eyes. Like Kagome, Ayumi had been forced to witness the execution of her parents. She had seen the teeth and the claws and knew all too well why Kagome could never feel safe around demons. Yuka had lost her parents to Cholera instead, and Eri never even got to see her parents.

“Focus on the mission; we need you sharp.” She nodded, and closed her eyes. One… two… three… She could not let blood and bones scare her. She had to enter the belly of the beast once again, and face whatever stood in her path. They had a mission and they would follow it through.

“We should use the underground path. Due to shortages in officers they focus only on priority areas along the six bridges of which only three lead to actual human districts. We’ll use the underground path of the Orange District to the Violet District and then cross onto the main bridge from there. Keep your I.D and scent on check until we get to the Leaking Brain. If anyone notices we are human do not hesitate. That includes Koga and his men.”

 

Koga had a plan set out in his mind. He would discuss the dangers of the Orange District, would declare his pack’s support of the girls and their decisions, and then he would guide them to the den to convince them to settle in. A shockingly simple plan despite his pacing, but wolf demons were not known for going against their instincts and he knew that the best way to keep the pack together would be to show as much support as possible.

It was all he really understood.

And yet when he spotted them enter the Leaking Brain as a group his mind began to shut down. First because they were all in the same space at the same time, and secondly because they were not afraid. He did not mean to stare, especially at Kagome’s midriff. She had some serious muscle on her, not that he was complaining he liked a girl with-

‘No.’ He did, however, stand up when he saw Hiten getting a little too close. He had also been eying up Kagome.

“Hey! You never told me the others would be here!”

“Oh how cruel, Kikyo!” Yuri was dressed in a similar manner, he noted. Perhaps it was simply the fashion of the Orange District. Once again, he was not complaining. “She was keeping it secret since she knew you were all whining about us not being around. Consider it a present.”

“That’s funny, I don’t remember it being my birthday.” He grinned anyway: he felt secure with everyone in the same area. He knew where they were, and they were safe, and they were happy. Or at least neutral.

Kagome leaned in towards Yuri:

“I’m going to buy the first round.”

“Oh there’s no need to-,” She cut him off immediately with a smirk.

“Come now, _Koga_ , we’re celebrating.” Ah, so her plan was successful after all. He smirked back.

“One time but I’m paying you back somehow.”

 

Hojo worked at the bar that evening, to Kagome’s surprise. A little paler, a little thinner, but not broken yet he practically glowed when he caught sight of her, but she was not smiling.

“Hey, Hojo, a round of the standard for the wolf pack around the back.” She took the vial out of her jeans and slid it towards him, leaning on the counter. “You got tomorrow off?”

“I don’t. Boss won’t let me catch a break.” She leaned a little closer.

“I might recommend that you visit some relatives out of town tomorrow. See how they’re doing.”

He stared, and for a moment there was complete silence. An understanding. Then, she slapped the money on the counter and the moment was broken.

“One drop per drink for that extra punch, Hojo.”

 

Hakkaku rarely questioned his gut, but with everyone together and having a good time he could not help but wonder if the alcohol had influenced it somehow. Having everyone nearby should have made him happy, he should have been enjoying himself, but when Kagome (he knew she was Kagome because he had seen her reaction to the name) came back from the bar with a smile on her face he could not help but feel like something terrible was going to happen.

“Well that took a fair bit out of my account.” She declared with a sigh, plopping into the seat next to Koga.

“I told you you didn’t have to.”

“And yet I did it anyway.” Koga was strange when it came to Kagome. It was not so much infatuation; it was more like he was drawn to her against his will. He had felt it for a time as well, and he spent far more time than he needed wondering what kind of demon she was. It was like he knew she was dangerous (although she had not proven it yet), but could not resist putting himself in danger.

‘I’ve experienced this before.’

When the drinks came around there was little questioning the choice. Kagome had clearly been watching their preferences whenever she visited. Still, Hakkaku found himself hesitating. There was something wrong and it was scaring him. He could not find the source of his fears, but he knew that Kagome was involved in some manner.

‘She’s watching me!’ With her own vibrant red drink in hand, she observed him with mild concern. He could not tell if it was because he was acting strange or because he was not falling into whatever plot she was a part of. ‘You’re just being paranoid.’

Still he could not drink.

“Are you okay, Hakkaku?” Ayaka asked, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. He flinched too hard, and he could tell he had scared her. He hated to do that; she was his favourite.

“Sorry, just feeling… like shit.” He stumbled up. Koga had been noticing his sudden nervousness as well. It was hard to hide how you were feeling amongst wolves and while most times he was grateful for the pack, this time he could not help but curse it. He did not want to be suspicious. “I’m… going to go home early.”

“Whatever you say, Hakkaku.” It was an expression that said ‘we will talk about this later’, but Ayaka did not let it go.

“If it is not too rude, may I walk home with you?” Even afraid he could not possibly ignore doe-eyed Ayaka. Her and danger did not blend together, and he would feel happier if she were away from whatever plot would take place in the Leaking Brain that night.

“Sure, if you’ll let me hold your hand.” Her flustered reply was worth it.

 

“I wonder what happened?” Emiko asked Kagome when Ayaka and Hakkaku left the group.

“Don’t know. Seems something really scared him. Maybe we should leave.” Yuri slapped her back with all the force of a bear, causing her to yelp. Koga tried not to pull the arm away; this was how they interacted.

“Relax nerds! He’s probably just feeling skittish because he’s surrounded by beauties like us!” Yuri, he noted, was louder than usual. He could feel the nervousness rolling from her as well. It was sickly sweet, unlike Kagome. “Besides, now he finally gets some alone time with Ayaka.”

He also knew of Hakkaku’s crush on Ayaka. He was not necessarily subtle on the matter, and could not stop himself from acting like an excited puppy whenever she joined Yuri: he fell hard and fast, and he could see why.

Still, he could not dismiss Hakkaku’s sudden fear the way Yuri did, and he could not deny the nervousness of everyone in the group. Still, they drank and soon his worry seeped away until he passed out on Kagome’s shoulder.

It was then that he recognised the smell.

‘A priestess.’

 

**GreenBird has logged in**

**GreenBird: @YellowBird Did you kill him?**

**GreenBird: @YellowBird Hello?**

**YellowBird: I did what I needed to do.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone for so long! I just finished university and am now looking for a job.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contemplating end results.

Koga woke up in the den with a pounding head and panicked voices. His pack mates were getting dressed into their uniforms and scrambling out of the house. Ginta was struggling with his trousers when he spotted Koga wake up.

“Dude get up the whole district is going ballistic out there.”

“What, why?”

“The terrorists have leaked a new law and the humans are losing their shit.”

Koga had barely any time to register the sentence before Ginta was out of the door, and even less time to get changed before he was shoved out of the den and put to work keeping the humans under control.

They beat and screamed at the gates swearing and throwing what they could. If he could he would kill them all, but those were not their orders. They were to keep the gate up until the professionals could force them back to work.

In the back of his mind, as one egg struck his shoulder, he wondered what had happened to provoke such a response out of them. No doubt something close to eliminating the rotten lot of them. It would only do him good to have humans wiped out, although he might miss the taste of them.

One man broke through and soon they had broken the barrier. He did not understand how, but when the man came at him with a club he did the only sensible thing he could and tore off his face. He could be lectured later.

It did not take long for the others to join in. It hardly mattered, they were only human.

 

The response was what she had expected, but no less grim. People had rioted, and the demons had dealt with it the only way that they knew: by massacring anyone that got too close. It did not matter whether they were young or old, anyone unfortunate enough to get into the hands of a demon was in danger.

She had cut and dyed her hair, watching the newsfeed from the comfort of her train seat. Soon she would be out of the city and far, far away from conflict such as this. The countryside was where most humans resided, and she had already rented a room with an elderly couple who lived in a shrine. She would have personally have preferred to not have the shrine attached, but humans were cautious about who they allowed in their homes lest they turn out to be demons.

‘It’s easy to exploit this feed…’ She was hoping that, perhaps, the violence would be restricted due to the news cameras, but they had no comprehension of what they were doing. They were digging their graves for her. She would smile if it had not come at the cost of other lives. She would take advantage of the feed and spread it around once the public had fallen silent.

She wondered, for a moment, if it were wrong to exploit suffering in such a manner. She had essentially helped to kill these people by exposing the bill, and in that sense she wondered if she were the villain.

She remembered the end goal and dismissed her doubt.

 

When he returned to the den two of his pack mates had brought back a little human girl. She was obviously terrified, shaking from head to toe with tears in her eyes and a splatter of blood on her dress. There was a name tag with the name ‘Berry’s’ and ‘Rin’ written on it. The dress was far too large for her, but she was tiny and insignificant.

‘Berry’s?’ The name sounded vaguely familiar to him. He tried to recall such a place, but his memory ran a blank. It was annoying and did little to help his temper already soured by the scratch on his face. The boy learned soon enough not to provoke a wolf.

“What the hell is going on here?”

“We caught her sneaking.”

“Yeah was trying to steal some blankets.” She flinched away from them, trying to back into the nearest corner. He was upon her in an instant. She must have been a mere cub and was far too scrawny for his liking. Her mother must not have been far away, or if she was then she was a terrible mother even by the standards of humans.

“Stealing from the wolves now. Oh, dear what are we to do with you?” She shrank away, still too stupid to speak for herself. “Well, what are we going to do with her?”

“Eat her?” He smiled pleasantly. Truth be told, he was not much of a fan of the taste of humans: they were too greasy for his liking; there was only one taste on his mind and it was a sweet salty taste of something he could only recall from memory; a vague face being attached to the taste. Something he craved in that very moment. Still, the other demons had their preferences and like any junk food humans were a delight to have when you wanted something overly saturated for one’s body. He was about to open his mouth to agree when a sharp pang ran across his skull.

“Boss are you okay?”

“No I’m not fucking okay.” It felt like someone was drawing their nails along the top of his skull into his eyeballs. He could feel the claws and hated it. All he could focus on was the movement; the steady drag down. He pressed his hands to his head trying to free himself of it, but with the pressure came more violence. Why now of all times? Was it a curse?

The girl had escaped while they were distracted, scurrying through the window back into the dangerous streets where she stood just as little a chance as survival as she did in the wolf’s den. For a moment, the pain subsided. He thought, for that moment, that perhaps he had been confronted by a priestess.

‘No way, they were wiped out centuries ago.’ He tried to escape the terrible, unbearable sickness that had taken a hold of his mind and stumbled into the streets where he promptly vomited and passed out.

 

The streets were overcrowded with violence and danger, the rioting continuing for days as the humans and lower demons demanded blood for pointless suffering. It was dangerous to leave the house, and just as dangerous to stay in it: a no-win situation with no end except with blood lost and fears for one’s own safety.

After three days the rioting and ceased and the streets were cleared of glass and fire. An announcement was made by the government and the demons involved in the conversation regarding the new law were all made to resign from their posts.

Not necessarily the best outcome, primarily due to the fact that life was lost in the first place, but a great deal better than what it could have potentially have turned out to be. Kagome imagined that there were likely those out there that would use it as a talking device on the inferiority of humans whilst sipping their champagne and enjoying their flirtations, but the bill had been removed and that was what was important.

‘Although they will most likely try to slip it in again in a much more subtle manner.’

She saw GreenBird everywhere she was. Even so far out into the country the terrorist GreenBird was making names for herself as a danger to modern demon society and she could not help but watch the reactions of other humans to her methods.

Her hosts were especially against her, she observed, as they perceived her to be a brute incapable of peaceful protest. Or perhaps it was their firm belief that violence was never the answer because they lived in a small shrine and truly believed that gods would answer their prayers.

She had stopped praying a long time ago when they broke into her shrine and killed her family. She still hated shrines and would never dare to enter it even with company; all she would see was the blood and the pale white skin. She had enough nightmares without shrines.

“I’m just saying there was no need to cause a riot like that, imagine how many children were involved.” Himiko said one day whilst removing the potatoes from the field.

“What if GreenBird were previously involved in peaceful protest and thought it was not doing anything?” She had idly responded as she assisted, the earth cold between her finger tips: perfect black soil for growing although the smell only reminded her of burying.

“I’m sure some demons would at least listen.”

“Some, I suppose.” However Kagome was confident that she knew better. The only demons that listened to her protests were half demons, and they belonged nowhere. She had long since grown cynical under the belief that humans and demons could ever coincide: the very concept of half demons existing was but a blip in her eyes.

 

When the fever finally broke Koga had been unconscious for three days straight with blurry eyes and a blurry mind, and a dreadful pit in his stomach. With nothing to eat during his delirium all he did was dry heave, spitting saliva and dripping with sweat.

Ginta had pounced upon him in an instant; more distressed than ever.

“Boss you’re awake! We were starting to worry!” He rubbed his face against Koga’s face, teary eyed in his distress. Koga pushed him away, somewhat sluggish in his response. The whole world was spinning and he still felt terribly ill. “You just suddenly passed out after being around that quiet girl. We thought she was a witch or something.”

“God no she didn’t even fucking smell nice.” She had reeked of dirt and urine, definitely belonging to the red district. There was no way such a puny human would be able to cast a spell on him, but someone most certainly did. “Fuck, I’m hungry.”

“Right away, boss!”

“Hey Ginta where is Hakakku?”

Ginta did something especially unusual then. He stopped where he stood with his mouth hanging open, and simply hung there. For several moments he hovered, and Koga could see that his mind was not necessarily where his body stood, paralysed in place.

“He… uh, I think he went off with some girl. But he’s been gone a while.”

“Some girl?”

“Yeah, I think we know her or something? A… Ayumi? Ayaka? Ami?” Suddenly it was like a light had been switched on in his mind. Koga tried to remember the girl as well, but his mind was foggy. He could remember the night.

They had been out drinking and there were a group of girls there. Three? Four. There were four girls there that he knew quite well, or thought that he knew well, and they were celebrating something. Something that one of the girl’s said would impact weaker demons.

‘Fuck what was it?’ He could remember the girl speaking to him only through smell. ‘Oh, heavens the smell.’ He remembered being addicted to it, this girl being a witch that had ensnared him. She definitely had something to do with his sickness, he decided then. She had done something to them, and he found himself hating this unknown woman for it.

“Go find Hakakku and the girl he’s with. We need to have a chat.” Abandoning his bed, he made a quick effort to be rid of the sickness that clung to his body and became obsessed with hunting down his prey and destroying her.

He was not one to be played with, and she had played him like a fiddle. The wicked minx was a weak demon that had played with the wrong predator and she would suffer for it.

Once the reek had been washed off he went about searching for any traces she could have left behind of her smell. Now that he had her smell it was difficult to ignore the sweet saltiness of her skin. He could practically taste it on his tongue: he recognised it as human.

That only made her game more insulting.

He caught a whiff of the cursed smell and chased it down. There was a jacket in the corner of his room that had been neatly folded. He did not know whether she had given it to him or if he had kept it, but either way it would resolve all of his issues for him: at least for now.

The wolf was on the hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long I have started my journey to a tiny island off the coast of Scotland and will be studying more archaeology. Thankfully once I have a steady schedule I'll be updating more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being undercover is dull

Kagome had settled into a routine of sorts in her new home. She would help Himiko and her husband in the fields first thing in the morning, pulling at weeds and removing slugs by hand; Himiko hating to kill the creatures regardless of the fact that they killed her cabbages in turn. When she had disposed of her bucket full of weeds and slugs she would then check on the cow and, depending on whether it was her turn, she would milk said cow and bring the bucket inside and enjoy it with her tea.

After that, she would help to feed the chickens, collect eggs, clean up the house, and then prepare lunch. Then she would go down to the local shop and buy supplies that she personally needed and keep up with the news of the village by talking to the owner. He was human like everyone else, so she felt comfortable talking to him. She mostly learned about the village itself, a pregnancy here or a loose cow there, it was rare that she heard about the cities or what was happening regarding demons.

It was a place so perfectly isolated from the dangers of the city, Kagome could not help but feel a strange serenity take over her the longer she stayed, and it was upon realising this that she grew to be her most afraid.

Serenity was not good. Serenity was dangerous, it meant that she was not on edge and when she was not on edge she was taking up too much space. So, she forced herself to stay alert. In her free time, she would stretch, practice fighting with her rake and keep up her strength although all the walking and work was keeping her fit on its own. She refused to relax for a single moment, keeping each second of the day filled with activity.

The only time she got a break was at night, although even those moments were filled with planning and scheming. Another chat had been opened after the chaos of her first accomplishment had died down, and she made sure to change her name.

**GBthe2nd has logged on**

**GBthe2nd: Everyone made it then?**

**RedBird has logged on**

**RedBird: Sup my duuuuuuuude**

**GBthe2nd: Why do I bother?**

**RedBird: because u loooooooove me**

**GBthe2nd: I’m deleting you from the chat.**

**BlueBird has logged on**

**BlueBird: I’ve taken shelter somewhere**

**BlueBird: I haven’t heart from @YellowBird in a while any news on your part?**

**RedBird: Nopeeee theyve gone awol for me**

**GBthe2nd: I haven’t heard from them either. I’ll see if I can locate them later today.**

**RedBird: Today we mourn the death of @YellowBird**

**RedBird has been deleted from the chat**

**GBthe2nd: Did I do that? : )**

Ayumi’s disappearance was of great concern to Kagome because it suggested that she was in some sort of danger. Perhaps she had been caught along the way, perhaps Hakkaku had caught the hint and had successfully torn her to pieces. Maybe she was lying unconscious in a pit as she sat in her room pondering her absence. Maybe she had been eaten.

She stared at her phone for several minutes before bringing up Ayumi’s number. She stared at the digits, staring until they blurred together into a pixelated mess. She could be sending Ayumi into an early grave by calling, or perhaps saving her from hell.

‘Please be okay.’

She caved and called. She waited, and waited, and waited but Ayumi did not answer. She called again. It rang once, twice, three times before somebody picked up.

“Hello? Kagome what are you doing calling me?”

“Nobody’s heard from you for days. We’re all worried sick.” Ayumi’s voice was a sigh of relief for Kagome. Ayumi had been with Kagome through her roughest times and it would break her heart to know that she was not coming back.

“I am sorry about that I was… distracted.” She sounded distracted as well. Her sing-song voice sounded strained, and she could hear heavy breathing from the other side. “I will meet you at the meeting place tonight. I brought a friend with me: you can trust him. He is for the cause.”

Kagome did not answer right away. Ayumi had a gentler heart than Kagome; it was through her that HalfDog had managed to join the group at all. Still, she could not help but feel as though Ayumi was trying to convince herself just as much as she was Kagome.

“I’ll have to take your word for it. Meet you there tonight.” Ayumi hung up before she could, leaving Kagome only more concerned than she had been before. Who was this friend? What would he bring to the cause? Was he a spy? Why did Ayumi try to convince her to trust her judgement?

All questions left unanswered as Kagome went back to work, knowing she would only get her answers that evening.

 

Ayumi stared dimly at her phone, watching Kagome’s name flash across the screen before she drew it back to the front cover. Friends stared back at her, delight in their eyes. Back before any of them had signed up for this rebellion, back when life had been easier. No less dangerous, for they were all city children, but easier.

“Everything okay?” She put her phone in her pocket, shrinking into her seat. She was not one for slouching but she was not inclined to listen to her mother’s orders that day: choosing the rebellion of improper posture.

“I am worried about how she will react.” Her companion wrapped his arm around her shoulders drawing her close over the train seat. “She absolutely detests demons.”

“If we work together we can figure out a way to convince her I’m on your side.”

“And how will Koga react?” He winced in response.

“Furiously.” Ayumi knew from her observations of Koga that there was nothing that drove him insane faster than disloyalty. Being a wolf he only gave it out to a select few individuals, and demanded the same amount of loyalty in return: anything less would be an insult to his very being.

“Well… hopefully he comes around.”

“If he doesn’t eat me first.” Ayumi lifted her head and kissed his jaw. He melted into the touch, and Ayumi could see a large smile beginning to form on his face.

“I won’t let him hurt you, Hakkaku.”

 

It was late evening by the time that Kagome was able to take a break. For once she allowed herself to actually have a break, flopping onto her bed with a sigh. She simply laid there for a moment before stretching her limbs forward, touching the plaster wall in front of her, almost knocking over the lamp with her feet.

Worries still filled her mind, and would not leave any time soon. She wanted to meet Ayumi’s friend immediately, and having to wait was beginning to bother her. She was not one to allow for anticipation, she merely went to work and did what she could, but Ayumi was secretive and far from her reach.

“God damn it what am I supposed to do?” It would do her no good to attempt to expose another questionable action right then and there, she was supposed to be undercover and would have to remain so for the next month at least: that was why she had come to such a quiet place.

And yet the silence drove her mad. She needed to do something, anything, before she truly snapped.

So she opened up her laptop and searched the news.

It was mostly the mundane news of the riots that had taken place in several districts of the city. All successfully silenced with life returning to normal. There was an entire section devoted to missing faces. Hers was one of the faces.

She glared accusingly from the laptop screen; the face of a hardened human who had seen far more than her youth should have allowed. Kagome tugged at her cropped blue hair, knowing that the change was not enough to completely blend her in but enough that sooner or later they would forget that she existed.

Being human had its benefits.

Eventually she found her distraction. Tucked just out of sight, recently deleted but brought back by her own skills, was a small article regarding an already controversial figure being found in cahoots with an upcoming demon.

She copied the deleted article onto her drive, and searched up the name. Sesshomaru had an incredibly busy life, and just so happened to be related to one of the advocates for the human cause. It would be a terrible shame if he was found to be in relationships with such a demon, and such a fragile one as well.

“Enough to bring out questions.” It would be enough to knock his status down a few notches. If his father was not already controversial with his half-breed son and human mistress then Sesshomaru was in for a treat. It was no less than what he deserved for being involved in the extermination of her village.

Soon, she would be the one to take him down.

 

The hour had passed in no time with a smile on her face and the pictures made public, she told Himiko that she would be visiting a friend for a while. Himiko insisted she bring them some apples and Kagome was left with little choice but to agree, taking the apples with a strained smile on her face.

She left them by the doorstep as she walked up to the hill at the very edge of the village, hands stuffed into her pockets as she dragged herself up to the top, slumping down on the damp grass. Ayumi and her friend were nowhere in sight and would not be found for some time. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and waited, listening vaguely to the silence.

It was strange not hearing the hum of streetlights, or the zooming of cars outside her window. It was unsettling, bizarre even, and she could not help but feel like a stranger in her own body. An imposter pretending to be someone she was not.

‘And isn’t that the truth of it?’ She was pretending to be a normal girl living a normal life for a couple that was entirely ignorant to the terrorist they were hosting in their own home. They would probably die from shock had they ever figured it out.

She heard their footsteps long before she heard Ayumi call out. Dragging herself back up, she waved them forward, standing up and brushing herself off.

“So, this your friend?” He was broad shouldered and much taller than the two of them. He kept his face hidden with a hood and Kagome noticed almost immediately the way his eyes glowed in the darkness. She kept her hand in her pocket where her knife sat snuggly. “What’s his name?”

“Okay, just… do not freak out.” The man removed his hood.

Kagome took her knife and stabbed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that's read so far! Sorry for the delay I was doing university work but I'm getting through it!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakkaku must prove himself

The knife had gone straight through his collarbone and was stuck between the bone and the throat underneath. Still, he pulled the knife out and snapped it in half.

“That anyway to greet an old friend?”

“Stay the hell away from me!” She was already taking several steps back, her eyes searching wildly in the dark for an escape route: some sort of freedom. No such thing came to her. Her breathing came in fast, panicked, and she was struggling to think straight.

“I’m not here to hurt you. I want to join you.”

“That’s bullshit and we all know it!”

“Kagome calm down, he’s really not going to hurt you.” Kagome flinched away from Ayumi’s grasp. What would have been soothing any other day was a betrayal in that moment. “He’s Speed.”

“Speed?” The confusion was enough to stop Kagome’s panic. “You mean the guy that can’t spell anything?”

“Hey! Writing is hard okay!”

“Yes, that’s him. He’s been with us for months.” Kagome squinted up at Hakkaku who was playing with his healing scar, jamming his finger into it and wiggling the finger around. “…Kagome, I asked that you trust me.”

“Well he’s a demon.” She directed her glare at Ayumi, judging her for her actions

“So? HalfDog’s a demon too.”

“Half demon. Very important you note the half.”

“Kagome.” She scoffed, then kicked at the nearest rock. It struck a nearby tree.

“Fine, but I’m going to test him out first.”

 

Whispers surrounded Sesshomaru that afternoon and he knew full well why. It was humiliating to think about for any other demon, but Sesshomaru felt no such guilt for his actions and was entirely dismissive of the group surrounding him. Nothing but pests, and lazy ones at that.

He took his seat at the conference table, the impish creature stumbling to catch up to his long strides. It was thanks to such a creature that he was being mocked in the first place, so why not expose him for all to see? Sesshomaru had nothing to hide, and never would.

“Lord Sesshomaru!” The imp called out trying to reach him. Sesshomaru kicked the creature to move forward, watching him stumble forward several steps before hitting the floor. Truly pathetic.

The whispering did not stop because he had entered the conference room, rather it continued regardless of the fact that he was there. He let it continue for several moments, noting the eyes upon the imp before speaking.

“If we are quite finished here, are we not supposed to be having a meeting?” The whispering ceased at the demand of his voice.

“Yes, of course.” One of them coughed into his hand, almost pretending to be ashamed of his blatant rumour spreading. The imp stood nervously by his side, skittish being surrounded by so many powerful demons that could do whatever they pleased with his life. “The recent attack by Green Bird has put a slight dent in our plans but for the most part the issue has been dealt with.”

“And has Green Bird been located?”

“Ah… no. They are still on the run and they’re profile has not been traced.”

“Yes, I believe they were using an anonymous website to gain support, but the chat was shut down before anything could be traced.” Piped in another demon.

“Furthermore, it seems as though people are working with Green Bird who are non-human.”

“Perhaps half-breed demons?” Another offered. Sesshomaru scoffed at the idea. Half demons were lucky to have the privilege they already had; they would be digging their own grave to betray their demon family. “But that still would not answer the question of how Green Bird accessed information regarding the new law. It was only just suggested.”

“Perhaps Green Bird is a demon himself?”

“That would still not be enough.”

“Then Green Bird has intel within the government itself.” Sesshomaru stated. It was obvious to him and to everyone else in the room, but it was an uncomfortable reality. Nobody liked to suspect that their own friends, as that was how they were to each other at least, could be a traitor. Sesshomaru felt no such guilt in stating the obvious. “And they are providing information for Green Bird whether this is intentional or not.”

“So… what do we do?”

A grim smile appeared on Sesshomaru’s face.

“We set a trap.”

 

**HalfDog has logged in**

**HalfDog: Update. They have a train you need to blow up**

**GBthe2nd has logged in**

**GBthe2nd: What does it contain?**

**HalfDog: Some fucked up drug that makes everyone sterile they’re planning to implement it into the new vaccine**

**RedBird has logged in**

**RedBird: I could totally nuke that shit**

**GBthe2nd: Actually.**

**GBthe2nd: I have a newbie that I want to test out. I’ll leave it to him.**

**RedBird: OooOooOo somebodys feeling feisty today**

**RedBird: also update of my own. Your wolf lover has gone awol so be on guard**

**GBthe2nd: Will do.**

**GBthe2nd: Also if you call him my lover again I will drown you.**

**RedBird: >:3c**

There was a protest in the city, as there so often was. Orange strips of cloth hung like bunting from the buildings, swept in the gentle breeze that cut through the march. The world was saturated with colour as the sun glared down on them, and yet they marched.

Rin was only eight and had little understanding of the reasons why they were marching, but she understood that it was serious and that her parents saw it as something incredibly important, so she came with them carrying a picket sign of her own:

STOP EATING OUR CHILDREN

The idea of being eaten was scary to Rin, but she had seen it happen before. When some of her bullies ran out of the Orange District intending to cause trouble in the Blue District, she had seen them being pounced upon by hungry wolves.

She was sensible enough to run away before they could consider her a little snack, but she understood then what fear was.

So she marched, stopping at the bridge between the Orange District and the Blue District with its bright blazing lights and silver buildings, blue glass, and neon signs. It was a dangerous place and she did not understand why her parents were pushing to get closer to the crossing point.

What if they were eaten?

She stayed behind while the rest of the march continued forward, but soon she was pushed along by the crowd. She was too small to resist it, and soon she was crossing the barrier as well. She did not want to cross the barrier, she did not want to be eaten.

She heard screaming, and was then shoved back. The crowd was reversing, pushing away from the Blue District into the safety of the Orange, but Rin had seen it. They were being attacked.

Panic took hold of her as she tried to push through the crowd to safety.

She was knocked down, her head striking the railing of the bridge. Wolves were coming to them. She was going to be eaten.

 

**GBthe2nd: I have a task for you, @RedBird.**

**RedBird: Suuuuuuuuuuuup?**

**GBthe2nd: Learn more about this train and see if Sesshomaru is involved.**

**RedBird: What difference would it make if he were involved?**

**GBthe2nd: Because I just sullied his reputation a bit and he’s likely to set a trap against us, plus he’s likely aware of my connections in the government now.**

**RedBird: Ah yes, your trusty government companions. I’ll get the Band to have a look into it**

**GBthe2nd: Any news on Naraku?**

**RedBird: He’s still awol he’s like a bloody troll I swear**

**GBthe2nd: Well keep at it. Deleting chat.**

**The chat has been deleted.**

**Start a new chat?**

Hakkaku was nervous when a strange smile appeared on Kagome’s face that afternoon, and Ayumi’s grim expression did little to console him even as she held his hand, running her thumb over his knuckles. The family Kagome was working with were in the fields and would not be back until evening so they had all the time in the world to talk, and as far as Hakkaku knew that only meant bad things for him.

“I’ve decided to give you a challenge to test your reliability and your trustworthiness.” She brought out her phone, typing a message into it before displaying what information HalfDog had given her. “A fast-travelling train between the hours of nine and eleven tonight will be travelling from East City to Central City via the Hitomi track.”

An image of the train sprung from the phone, a holograph of the train’s design and several entrances and exits, it’s speed noted at 200mph. Hakkaku could easily outrun it if he needed to.

“Inside is the drug Clysterine which will be implemented into a new vaccine that will be test run in a few days time. The purpose of this drug is to reduce fertility rates. In other words, it’s a drug to sterilise.”

“Wait, I thought exposing that law thing from before stopped that from happening?” Kagome stared dimly at Hakkaku through the hologram.

“If it were that easy I would have retired ages ago. No, they’re just being more secretive about it now.” She zoomed in on one of the entrances of the train. “Security is tight on the train with only a ten minute gap between security switching. You have those ten minutes to get into the train, set up a bomb, and then blow it to merry hell. Of course you will also be filmed whilst doing th-,”

“I’m being filmed!?”

“Yes. We need to make Green Bird as public as possible. The public needs to know that they have a vigilante on their side.”

“But what if I get caught?”

“You won’t. You’ll have back-up. Red Bird will be inside by the time you get in.” Kagome then smiled. “You didn’t think I would let a rookie handle such a dangerous task alone, surely?”

“I-… fair point.”

“Ayumi will help you get there. You have to be inside the train between ten and ten past ten. No sooner, no less, so make sure you have a working watch.”

“…Right.”

“And good luck. Make it through this without giving us away and you’re a part of the cause.”

“I’m starting to wonder whether this is a good idea…”

“Well the other option is to die here.” He winced, rubbing at his collarbone. It had completely healed but the scar had taken longer than usual to heal. There was something off about Kagome and not just in the fact that she was a dangerous terrorist.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

 

Rin could not move.

She had tried to move her legs, but they would not respond. She tried to move her arms, but they were like lead at her sides.

The Orange District was splattered in red. Rin could not move her eyes but she knew she was not the only one dying. She had not been eaten, but she could hear the crunching of bone and knew others were; she could hear their screams and in that moment she wished she could not hear at all.

Her picket sign was blinded by her blood, reading only “EATING CHILDREN” and even she thought it cruel that she would leave the world with such a message.

She tried to move her finger, but not even a twitch escaped her.

She could hear somebody walked towards her, the crunch of bone under their feet. They moved to walk past her and then stopped. A strange impish creature stared at her, poking her head with a stick.

“Pah another dead human. Lord Sesshomaru, we should leave this wretched place.” The man the imp was talking to said nothing. Sesshomaru unsheathed his sword. He was going to kill her? She was terrified at the thought, she did not want to die.

Rin tried to move her finger again. It twitched.

“This is the only mercy I offer you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in two days?? Wowzers Morgan you sure are busy!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All goes according to plan

Yuka had learned a lot of things on the street. She could tell you which shops allowed humans in, which street you were guaranteed to get mugged in, which knife was most efficient at slicing through somebody’s throat, and just how to get a man begging on his knees for you to end his suffering.

In that moment, Yuka was contemplating Kagome’s course of action. Of course, she understood Kagome on a surface level, but her level of deception was beyond Yuka’s street smarts, twisted into another realm of absurd and straight out dangerous.

Sending a new person on such a risky task only meant that Kagome either strongly disliked the person to such an extent that she was willing to put their entire cause in danger, or there was another reason that only her twisted mind could understand. It frightened Yuka, in some way, because if she could not predict Kagome she could not protect herself against her actions.

“Then again, she’s always been like this.” She mused at her phone, typing out her response. She was corresponding with Ayumi on the stranger that Kagome was putting through such a task, explaining the details of the train and how to get in.

It was one of the more modern trains, most recent on the line for a matter of fact, going at break neck speed. It would be interesting to see how the person got in without becoming a splatter on the tracks. Maybe her intentions were for the stranger to simply die that way: she would not put it past Kagome, knowing how vicious she could be when she needed to be.

 

**YellowBird: GBthe2nd is starting to worry me I can’t read her right now**

**RedBird: Does she look happy**

**YellowBird: …**

**YellowBird: She looks intense**

**RedBird: Lol.**

**RedBird: I can’t offer any help all I can say is keep an eye on Speed and make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless that’s probably what she’s anticipating**

**YellowBird: Probably**

**YellowBird: But what if he gets caught?**

**RedBird: That’s what you and the bomb are for**

It was her that insisted on the bomb. She could not risk everything going to hell simply for photographic evidence. Kagome’s plan was to get evidence of the train full of the chemical and to spread it world wide ‘to see what happened’ but Yuka decided it was too risky and they would likely still use it so the operation changed from photographic evidence to photographic evidence then obliteration. And fingers crossed Ayumi and the stranger did not get caught in the explosion.

‘That would be just our luck.’

 

Hiro did not understand why he was guarding a bunch of Clysterine or why it was there. As far as he knew that was only used to cull large populations of badgers or other pests when they got in the way of farming, but they were not travelling out into the countryside, rather they were travelled towards the Central city.

‘Not my job to ask questions.’ He thought as he stood at his post, staring at the scenery as it flashed by him in a blur of green. He was incredibly bored and would have been reading a book had he been allowed to. The worst part was he had nobody to talk to, his work colleague having been too ill to take up his position that day, leaving him to fend for himself. ‘Just my luck on the dulled part of my job yet.’

A clunk from the pipes above drew him out of his thoughts. He stared up at the ceiling, watching the pipes rattling ominously as the train sped across. There was another clunk, and another.

‘Sounds like someone on the train.’

There was another clunk and a sharp pain in his head. The last thing he saw before he passed out was a young man.

“Sorry, dude.”

 

Hakkaku was lucky to get in, almost missing the roof and having to scramble to stop himself from slipping off. The surface was too smooth to climb across easily and he struggled to get inside, thankful that there was only one guard at the post instead of two like he anticipated.

He dragged the man into the closet and quickly shut the door, hunched over as he crept into the main room where the Clysterine was expected to be.

Crates of the stuff, bottles of the concoction rattling against each other as the train zoomed along the tracks. There was enough to wipe out a city. Hakkaku may not have known the details, but if one generation had that drug in them they would be wiped out by the next generation.

‘But why cull your own work force?’ Humans alone could explain the situation, but by wiping out weaker demons as well they were practically digging their own graves. It made no sense to Hakkaku. ‘Too much thinking, more doing.’

He snapped several pictures, sending them to Kagome when he was satisfied with the amount he had taken. Rummaging in his bag, he hesitated to take out the bomb. There were people alive in this train and he would be killing them all if he set off this bomb. There was no escape for them. They would be turned into gory pieces in an instant.

‘It was easier when they were human.’ When he could pretend they were nothing but livestock for him to consume, back before he started to think much of anything about anyone outside of his pack. Ayumi had changed that and he was truly starting to wonder whether he should have let her: curse her and her brilliant heart.

He did what he knew he would regret.

 

The girl was still asleep by the time that Sesshomaru had returned. She was incredibly small and probably young even by the standards of human with a skinny frame and clothes that were far too muddied with her own blood. They did not stain the sofa and that was the only reason Sesshomaru was not irritated by her existence.

His reputation was already being dragged through the dirt thanks to a moment of pity directions towards the imp Jaken, but even Jaken could find little reason behind his actions at the Orange district and this both amused and annoyed Sesshomaru who found himself wondering why he had taken to publicly carrying the child back to his own home like one would their own daughter.

It was only as the word spread of his actions that he realised how easily his reputation could be twisted to his own advantage. After all, humans had as much right to vote as everyone else and were more inclined to vote for demons they thought of as sympathetic to their suffering.

The ones that had been exposed as suggesting sterilisation of humans and weaker demons were quickly losing their popularity and one had already been forced to leave parliament. GreenBird had done Sesshomaru a favour of sorts by giving him a foothold with the weaker demons, now he could exercise that same right with the humans.

And it all started with a little girl.

 

**Speed: did u get the pics??**

**GBthe2nd: Easily. I notice the train is still there.**

**Speed has logged off.**

**RedBird has logged in.**

**RedBird: Dude please tell me you didn’t forget the bomb**

**GBthe2nd: Oh dear~**

**RedBird: Be nice!! Youre freaking me out!**

Hakkaku returned with his tail between his legs. He learned that Kagome seldom went on excursions with this others so seeing her in the car with Ayumi did very little to ease his comfort, and when he slumped in still with the bomb held in his hands he tried to figure out how to explain the situation to her.

“I-,”

“Couldn’t do it.” She responded before he could even begin to explain.

“I’m sorry. It’s. It’s just there were people inside. People with families.”

“I know.” She said in return, eyes forward. There was a strange smile on her face as Ayumi drove on in silence, occasionally glancing back to between the two. The tension was thick in the air, like a heavy broth; only Hakkaku could not eat even if he wanted to.

She said nothing for a moment, resting her head in her hand as she watched the scenery go by. A blur of green that flashed so quickly she could only see the details in milliseconds. She doubted that they were driving very fast in comparison to how fast a demon could run.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to do it, you are much too soft for that.” Her smile broadened, and then she turned to him; practically beaming. “That’s why I did it.”

“What?” Her logic made no sense to him.

“Because now they have your face. You knocked the security guard unconscious but he caught your face. Further still, there was a security camera right there that you failed to notice. I was able to hack it and can say without a doubt they have your face.”

“W-why is that a good thing!?” He was beginning to panic. They could connect him to his pack, that meant his pack was in danger. He had put everyone dear to him under life threatening circumstances thanks to his own hesitation.

“It means you can’t run away now.”

“But what about my pack!?” He was screaming in her face. She was wicked, and altogether vicious. He could not believe for a single second he had an ounce of sympathy for her.

“Relax, relax.” As if she did not have a powerful demon shouting in her face, she waved her hand dismissfully. “I have it all under control.”

“Under control? If any of them are hurt I swear I will eat you.” She laughed in his face. Laughed with a genuine meanness about her.

“Oh, I am sure you will.”

Ayumi merely watched the encounter from the front seat, hands clenching tightly on the steering wheel. Hakkaku could feel anger radiating from her and he wondered if this was the first time Kagome had done such a thing, or if it were a transitioning period for him. If so he wanted nothing to do with the cause, but his face had been seen he could not turn back.

“Besides…”

There was a loud explosion. Out of the car window he could see the bridge the tracks were on rupture; a scattering of flaming wood and metal. Smoke billowed forth and Hakkaku could see the train driving off the tracks, descending down towards the ground below.

“You don’t seriously think I would have depended on you for such a crucial mission?”

 

**RedBird: Sorry speedy boi I love you but I had to take over**

“So… this entire time you knew?”

“Yup.” He would slap her if he was a lesser man, and the temptation was too strong. He released his grip of her collar, turning away from her in disgust. She had terrified him in that moment. “If it consoles you in any way none of your pack remembers us right now.”

“I’m guessing you had something to do with that as well?” He did not turn to look at her, glaring at the window.

“Absolutely.”

“And this had nothing to do with you wanting to keep them safe.” At this, Kagome said nothing. She was quiet for some time, long enough for it to become awkward.

“Perhaps that was part of the reason, but it was mostly so they could not identify us once the whole mess was over.” Hakkaku was not sure if she were lying or telling the truth, but the way she said it was baffling to him. He offered a single glance her way. She was still smiling but keeping her head forward. “I dislike when things are not in order and to have them there would be very troublesome.”

“They… remember me, right?”

“You were out of order, so yes.” He gained a sense of pride in knowing that he threw her in for a loop. He imagined she was not normally one to be caught off guard, and perhaps that is why she was so mad at him; rather than because he was simply a demon. “There’s a hotel nearby run by humans. I would suggest putting some effort into blending in lest they run from you in fear.”

“Right.”

 

All was going well for Kagome despite the initial hiccup of having to teach Hakkaku a lesson. Ayumi was mad, although she could not tell whether the anger was directed at her or at Hakkaku by the time she had left them with a wave of her hand and a smile on her face.

She was feeling exceptionally mean and did not feel even remotely sorry on the matter. Her plans were almost put in danger and Ayumi had no regard for the role that Hakkaku’s pack would play in her plans when the time called for it.

The smile dropped from her face as she returned to her house. She had told the family that she would be on a trip with her friends to the next village over and they had happily accepted the excuse, wishing her the best of luck.

She unrolled her futon and lied down in it, smiling up at the ceiling. She now knew what Hakkaku could and could not handle, and knew that his greatest fear lied in dangers towards his pack. He would do anything for them when the time called for it, and this was enough for her.

‘Things are starting to look up.’

“I’ve found you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know another chapter so quick but inspiration hit me like a train and how could I resist?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga returns.

CHAPTER NINE

**Speed has logged in**

**Speed: so can i say that @GBthe2nd is a real jerk!!!**

**RedBird has logged in**

**RedBird: To be fair youre lucky she didn’t shoot you dead**

**Speed: she tried!**

**RedBird: Lol**

**RedBird: Good ol’ GB.**

**RedBird: But no seriously youre lucky to be alive right now**

**Speed: i thought she had put my entire family in danger**

**RedBird: One thing worth learning about GB is shes an ass but she wont pointlessly drag people into her conflicts**

**Speed: doesnt make her any less of an ass**

**RedBird: Oh absolutely not. But youll sleep easier knowing shell avoid bring in your family no matter what.**

Kouga had started his journey in the Orange district. It was here that he found traces of the woman’s scent in a small café barely worth acknowledging. The people there claimed to have seen him before after he slammed the door open and he used this to his advantage, threatening claws and bloodshed against anyone who hid the girl from him.

“She quit a few weeks ago!” Cried out one of the girls with tears in her eyes; a disgusting stench radiating from her. “She was moving into the countryside with some family.”

When he demanded to know what family they were utterly helpless in telling him. Even when he clawed out an eye they were useless. He assumed they knew nothing more so he abandoned the pursuit and instead demanded to know where she used to live.

Burnt down to ashes, it was, with nothing remaining of the original flat. Only scraps of the wall made it, and even they were tumbling down. The scene was closed off to the public and even in his fury he was not inclined to pick a fight with police officers being one himself; even if they were human officers.

“Was anyone in the fire?” He had asked when one officer came close by. The man flinched, naturally, at the sight of a demon being so close to him.

“No, and the original owner of the house has gone missing.”

“May I see her face?”

“You knew her.” He shrugged. The man paused, sizing him up, before reluctantly handing an image of the girl over.

His heart ceased at the image. Pale freckles and dark eyes stared back at him, accusation in her eyes. The stare had him paralysed, struggling to breathe. He had met her before, there was little doubt about that, but it was not hatred that filled his nervous system but betrayal. She had gained his trust at some point, and though he could barely remember her he remembered that much. Her name was Kikyo, she was twenty-two years old, and she was a strong advocate for human rights.

‘Maybe that’s why she made me forget.’ Since neither he nor any other member of his pack cared for humans, seeing them as a meal, she was smart in running while she could. Perhaps she thought she would escape his nose. A foolish thought; typically human.

He tucked the photo into his jacket pocket.

“Thank you, I will find her.”

“Wait- sir-,” He was gone before the officer could stutter out another word.

There was a reason wolves were allowed on the police force; they could hunt down anything. Their brutality and their chaotic, rebellious nature were irrelevant especially when in areas that contained weaker demons and humans, what mattered is that they were intelligent and could hunt down a target. Koga disliked the image of the barbarian that was given to him since he was a pup, and tried to be nice to weaker demons at least.

That was why he was popular. He was a charmer, and unlike those outside his pack he was genuinely intending for good to happen to other demons. After all, what good was a community without its workforce, and a workforce that was happy? Further still, even he could not deny there was a certain charm to the way they worked together. Like a pack.

He learned Kikyo had been sighted on a train between Central city and East city and that she got off on a small station some ten miles away from the nearest source of civilisation. He paused, smelling the jacket, waiting for the wind to pick up before following the scent: the salty sweet smell of human flesh. He barely noticed it in the train as humans as demons were packed together, but hers was a smell he could never ignore.

It had been ingrained in his mind.

‘Just who was this girl?’ What could have happened to have attached him so closely to the traitor. He ran towards the small village. He was close. Every fibre of his being told him so. The anticipation, the excitement of the hunt. He was close.

He waited until nightfall before sneaking into the room. The room reeked of her, it was almost overwhelmingly. It was barren, lacking most comfort furniture, with only a suitcase containing her clothes and her laptop being proof of the fact that she lived there.

He could not help himself, he rummaged through it. He was looking for some trace of evidence regarding his relationship with the woman. Instead, he found the latest newspaper. He was impressed anyone read paper copies of anything these days, and curiously went through it. Several articles were circled in red pen.

RIOT ENDS IN MASSACRE

GREENBIRD’S LATEST ACT OF TERRORISM HAS ENDED IN BLOODSHED AS A CONTROVERSIAL LAW WAS EXPOSED TO THE PUBLIC.

Koga already knew about the law. He did not necessarily know how he remembered seeing as he was found vomiting up his dinner during most of the riot, but he remembered clearly that the law was regarding the sterilisation of humans and weaker demons.

He remembered-

Kikyo had something to do with its exposure.

There was a crushing pain in his skull. He dropped the newspaper, clutching at his head. He waited for it to pass.

‘I swear I’m going to claw her to death.’ He knew he would not, he could try but something would prevent him. She had done something to him. ‘What was she?’

How was he connected to her? How was she connected to GreenBird? He needed an answer.

 

She did not flinch when he pounced upon her, although he could feel her bristle under his grip. With one hand placed firmly at her neck, and her legs pinned underneath him, he was surprised that she did not even bother to struggle. Almost as though she had anticipated him, but that was impossible. He was too quiet for her human hearing.

“I know HalfDog said the drugs only lasted a short time, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this short.” She spoke with a smile on her face, as though his suffering was nothing but a mild inconvenience for her. As if she did not have a powerful demon threatening to crush her throat.

“What the hell did you do to me?”

“I drugged you. Did I not already make that clear?” She gasped when his grip tightened around her neck, but she was still smiling. “Specifically, I drugged you to forget you ever saw us. At least as long as it took for us to leave the pack.”

“Why?” She shrugged to the best of her ability, tilting her head slightly to look in another direction.

“I do hate loose ends.” Her response was vague. He glared at her. “Well, look at it this way, I was protecting your pack in my own little way.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“On the contrary it’s very real. Think about it, just what do you think would happen if they ever realised your connection to me. Better yet, imagine if one of your pack let out a few words they shouldn’t? Why, it’s much easier to wipe out their memories than it is to tell everyone to keep their mouths shut.”

He could see her logic and he hated that more than anything. She had wiped out the memories of his entire pack for something he could not understand. He still could not remember what it was and no matter how hard he tried to remember he could not.

“And just why would someone like you be in danger?” And why had she decided not to rely on the pack for support? Sure, he was certain that she was human, but if he had accepted her into the pack then she was guaranteed his safety and the safety of everyone else in the pack.

“You mean you still can’t remember? Man, that stuff is potent. I’ll have to tell HalfDog it’s almost as good as he said it was.” She began to giggle. He choked her harder, but it did little to faze her. “Well, it’s because I work for GreenBird, of course.”

Worked for?

She worked for GreenBird?

It made sense, in a way. The situation would be risky enough to require her to hide as often as possible, and it meant that she would not be able to attach herself to others, but if that was the case why did they get close to his pack? Was it planned or accidental? Had he pushed himself upon her demanding attention or was he a part of a larger scheme? Did he become a part of the scheme later on?

He wished the drug would run out of his system already so he could remember.

“And what role did I play in this?” For once, her smile faltered.

“You…” She paused, almost looking irritated. “You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You covered for me.” She spoke honestly. “I would rather that none of the pack remembered us, but then Ayumi-,”

He remembered Ayumi. A girl with curly brown hair and doe-like eyes going off with Hakkaku.

“Where’s Hakkaku?” She cringed. She looked unhappy with the very concept of his name. “Where. Is. Hakkaku?”

“He’s with Ayumi.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything.”

“Good, because all I know is that they’re staying in a hotel right now and that he’s probably recovering from his experience?”

“Experience?” The way she said it made him nervous. What had she done to him?

“His first mission.” The grin returned. “Sorry, but one of your own is now working for GreenBird. I’d say I planned it but he was supposed to forget everything just like you.”

Hakkaku was working for GreenBird? The thought terrified him. He was putting himself in danger, and that meant the pack was in danger. Everything he was working towards was in danger, it was all about to fall apart, he was-

“Easy on the neck, love.”

“Why shouldn’t I kill you right here?”

“Simple.” She shrugged again, lifting a hand to poke at his face; the gesture mocking. He snarled at her. “Because you can’t.”

“I beg to differ.” He choked her, aiming to suffocate her to death. She cringed, struggling to breathe, but she did not raise her hands to try and release his grip and just as she reached the tipping point of death a sharp pain took over his skull. Begging, pleading, for him to release her. The pain was so overwhelmingly he released her to clutch at his head. The pain was staggering in its strength, like someone had taken a needle and stuck it between the gap of his eye and eye socket.

Kikyo got up, brushing herself off before taking out her pyjamas and changing in front of him. He could not help but stare, gaping at her blatant disregard for his existence, and yet he knew that she was mocking him. He could not help but stare. From the base of her spine up to her collarbone to her exposed neck. He had the overwhelming urge to bite it.

“What the hell did you do to me?” She pulled on her shirt, buttoning the front.

“Who can say? I can tell you that whatever you’re going through now I had nothing to do with whatsoever. You did that to yourself.” She turned to smile at him, longer parts of her hair shifting over her shoulder. “Though I can assure you I feel no guilt in taking advantage of it.”

She was the devil in disguise. He had bound himself to the devil.

“Now, I’m supposing you want to see Hakkaku?” He forced himself to nod. He was under her control for the time being. He was not a coward and would not run from her; he wanted to know more about her, more about her weaknesses. “I suppose I can add you to the chat.”

**GBthe2nd has added WolfFang to the group chat**

**RedBird: Well I’ll be damned**

**GBthe2nd: :3c**

**RedBird: DON’T YOU USE MY FACE AGAINST ME**

**Speed: Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhit**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm about to move places again so it might take me a while to update after this.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome decides on new tactics.

Kagome had left the household for good that afternoon, the demon in the facility doing very little to ease the discomfort of her happy adoptive family. She had finished her work for the day, helping in the fields with Koga looking on suspiciously, and had packed her bags to stay in the same hotel as Hakkaku and Ayumi.

Nobody was especially happy with the change in circumstances with her recent escapade, herself included, but she soon found herself in the room right next to Ayumi and Hakkaku, and soon found delight in knowing that the walls were as thin as paper, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to listen in on any conversations they had about her.

“I’m just saying there was no need for her to take it as far as she did.”

“She didn’t know whether to trust you or not.”

“That didn’t mean she had to threaten my pack.”

“She did not do that. She was just-, ugh, never mind.” It was a conversation that she was growing used to. It was dull and had lost its spark after the third attempt of talking about it that day.

“Now Koga’s here. Which means it was all bloody pointless in the first place.”

“I’m sure she has a plan.” Somebody sat on the bed, Kagome hearing it creak under their weight. “She’s just like that. She’s kept us all safe, I doubt she would let them come to harm if they were on our side.”

“And if they weren’t?” Ayumi did not answer. Kagome could practically feel Hakkaku’s apprehension from the opposite of the wall. The door slammed shut, causing the walls to rattle. “I know you can hear us, Kagome!”

She suppressed a giggle.

 

Kagome was an enigma, he concluded. He did not even know if Kagome was her true name, but it was the name everyone was calling her by, so he stuck with it. The more he analysed her the more confusing she became. She was both logical and illogical, mean and kind-hearted, vicious and gentle. She was nothing short of a mess: typically human he decided.

Her logical was still sound in its madness. Koga had a reputation for consuming humans and causing danger to them. It would make sense that when she was given the opportunity she would choose to be rid of him without any harm to her own wellbeing. It made sense, and that only made it more frustrating.

He had come to demand answers and had received them. He had come to demand an explanation and she admitted fully to the fact that it was her intentions from the moment they met to ensure that he could not remember her by the time she left, and that she was disappointed by the fact that the drug had not been more potent than it already was.

What hurt the most was the betrayal.

He remembered clearly his fondness for the woman, his memories successfully returning to him. He felt they had a kindred spirit for the short time that they had known each other: partners in crime. She was brilliant, and she was cunning, and this is what he hated the most.

“I know that if I leave now to tell the others you’re going to kill me.”

“Mmmmm maybe so.” She was lying down on the bed staring up at the ceiling with a smile on her face. She looked so innocent then, directly contrasting the conversation that they were having. He huffed, leaning against the window. “Unless you’re willing to convince them to join the cause.”

“Pah.” He spat out, glaring out the window. He was already involved as far as he knew; he would not leave Hakkaku behind and would not allow his pack to be used as a hostage by Kagome or the others.

He remembered the others clearly now. The small group of human women that always stuck close to each other, always so tense and yet so calm around them. He should never have befriended them. He should have played the big bad wolf after all. But that was not in his nature. He was raised to treat lesser demons like equal, and in turn had ended up adopting humans into his pack.

“They’ll fight it.”

“I figured.” She tilted her head to stare at him. “But they have a leader that they can all depend on for good judgement and are entirely opposed to the discrimination of weaker demons. Thanks to you.”

He hated the grin on her face. He hated that she was right as well. He would not betray them because Hakkaku was in danger, and his pack would follow him no matter how they felt about human beings because it just so happened to coincide with the needs of weaker demons and his own orders. They would never leave him behind and he would never leave them behind.

He stormed up to Kagome, pulling her forward by the front of her hoodie.

“But don’t think that I’ll be taking orders from you.”

“Never imagined it.” The grin on her face suggested otherwise.

 

**BowWow: Yo did you guys hear about that train?**

**HitomiKuragi: No what happened**

**BowWow: Well apparently there was this train heading to the capital that got blown up**

**FumiForDays: Oh wow**

**FumiForDays: Why did it get blown up?**

**FumiForDays: Was it that terror group again?**

**Pajaro_verde: Did you not hear?**

**Pajaro_verde: Apparently GreenBird had something to do with it.**

Vacation was over for Kagome. She joined Koga on the train back towards Central city, though he could certainly run faster than the train, and was sitting in the seat opposite him playing on her laptop; headphones blaring music in her ears.

“I don’t understand.” Kagome lifted her headphones off her ears, letting them sit at her neck. “I don’t understand you.”

“Good, there’d be no point if you could read me like an open book.” She responded with a smile, leaning back in her seat. She gestured for him to continue.

“Why are you doing all this?”

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

“This whole overthrowing the government crap.” She beamed at him, shoving her laptop to the side.

“I thought it was obvious: because I want to overthrow the government.” Taking her headphones off completely, she leaned forward again, elbows resting on the table between them. She spoke quietly. “More specifically, I want Naraku and his little pets out of the way.”

“Yes, but why?”

“Beyond their discriminatory attitude towards humans and their completely absurd attempts to neutralise not only humans and weaker demons?” Koga knew it would not be enough for her. A part of his mind understood that there was something altogether more complex about Kagome that would make that alone not a strong enough reason for her to go through such efforts to cause trouble. Every humans, and perhaps a large majority of the weaker demons, had a grudge against Naraku and his men; he knew a few stronger demons that held a grudge as well. No, in Koga’s eyes there had to be more to it.

“That would not be enough for you.” Kagome sighed, dragging her laptop back towards her.

“You’re right it isn’t enough.” She did not answer him, instead continuing to type on her laptop.

 

**Pajaro_verde: The very same GreenBird also had something to do with that law being exposed.**

**Pajaro_verde: Maybe they are connected in some way?**

**BowWow: Man that sounds scary**

**BowWow: Frankly I find that shit messed up who would even do that sort of thing**

**Yyyuga: The whole thing is messed up if you ask me**

**Yyyuga: The fact that they were trying to do that sort of shit under our noses is fucked up**

**Yyyuga: And the fact that they blew up a train and killed everyone is messed up**

**Pajaro_verde: I’m inclined to agree with Yyyuga here what GreenBird did was wrong**

 

“Hey, Koga, what do you think of GreenBird?”

“Why, are you talking to them right now?” She smirked, but did not answer. Koga thought about it for a moment, before answering. “I think they have good intentions but they’re going about it all wrong.”

“Oh?”

“Violence alone won’t fix anything. Publicly exposing those politicians had an impact, and so did destroying that train, but if you really want change you can’t go about it that way. You need to have allies on the inside, and break the system apart from the inside. As it is, people will have their riots and threats but they won’t change anything. You need to have somebody in charge that strong demons, weaker demons, and humans can get behind.”

Kagome hummed, typing on the laptop. She did not lift her eyes to look at him, but after a moment a smile took over her face.

“You mean like Sesshomaru?”

“Sesshomaru? Where did you get that idea from?” She turned the screen towards him. Sesshomaru was standing in the middle of the article picture with an imp and a young girl by his side. The title read:

CHANGE IN HEART?

“Seems he’s taking advantage of the reputation that GreenBird gave him a few days, no? Why don’t we use him to get inside, then?”

 

**Pajaro_verde: It’s my opinion that Sesshomaru would be a suitable candidate for support**

**BowWow: What makes you think that?**

**Pajaro_verde: Well look at it this way.**

**Pajaro_verde: On his own his political agenda is fairly stable and isn’t discriminatory towards any one species.**

**Pajaro_verde: And he’s already shown to be in some sort of support for weaker demons and humans**

**BowWow: Where’d you get that info from?**

**Pajaro_verde has sent an image**

**Pajaro_verde: Front cover news**

**BowWow: Damn**

**BowWow: I need to read the news more often**

**HitomiKuragi: it looks like he’s getting really popular in the polls as well**

**HitomiKuragi: looks like Naraku might have some competition**

**FumiForDays: Nice!! Hey if this is true I’m totally voting for him**

**FumiForDays: It’s about time we have someone that speaks for us**

**BowWow: You a human, Fumi?**

**FumiForDays: Yeah what you gonna do about it?**

**BowWow: Nothing I was just curious**

**Yyyuga: I don’t know guys I’m suspicious.**

**Yyyuga: It sounds like Sesshomaru is just taking advantage of the reputation GreenBird gave him.**

“Master Sesshomaru?” Sesshomaru stopped his typing as the young girl spoke. Since she had regained consciousness she did nothing but speak and Sesshomaru found it to be rather draining how one small human could find it in themselves to speak obsessively about nothing at all. About a particularly interesting flower she had found, the ‘funny’ horns on one of his workers, why he had fur, why Jaken’s staff was so ugly. She found everything interesting.

“Yes, Rin?” She got up from her spot and trotted over to him, showing off a picture. It was not a masterpiece, and Sesshomaru would not waste money on it had it been demanded of him, yet he found himself taking the picture in his hands and staring at it with contemplation in his eyes.

“It’s good, right?”

“Yes.” He said it before he could correct himself. There would be no point in lying to the child and yet he did so. She practically beamed at him. “Go play with Jaken.”

“Yes, sir!”

Just as expected, he was gaining rapid speed over all other candidates. In a month’s time it would be decided who was on top.

**GreenBird: Hello Sesshomaru.**

**GreenBird: I see you are doing well for yourself.**

**GreenBird: You have my full support. Your wish is my command.**

**Sesshomaru: Then I insist you stop blowing up trains.**

**GreenBird: Then stop filling them with chemicals.**

**GreenBird: I know it was you that set up the trap. There was no point in the government having that much of such a drug, and I know it was you who set the order.**

**GreenBird has sent an audio clip.**

**Sesshomaru: So you have an agent in our space?**

**GreenBird: On the contrary, I have multiple.**

**GreenBird: I’m willing to support your campaign if you help me with a task of my own.**

**Sesshomaru: And what would that be?**

**GreenBird: Simple.**

**GreenBird: Help me take down Naraku.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Try and guess who each online character is. They will all appear eventually. Also, this will be my last update for a while I have university work to catch up with.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome meets the pack.

Kagome seldom dreamed anymore. It was an activity that her mind seemed to prohibit her from experiencing and she often wondered if it was as a way of blocking out potential nightmares. She thought it would make sense, all things considered, and chose to accept that she would never have the vivid wonders that others spoke of waking from, a hazy fantasy kept firmly from her grasp.

So, it came as a surprise to her when she found herself standing in what appeared to be a ballroom of red and black checkered floors, chandeliers of black diamond dangling above her twinkling in the light. She looked around, surprised, and found that she was surrounded by an assortment of dolls.

“An old habit of a friend of mine, I shall not deny.” A low voice stated. She turned her head sharply and came face to face with a figure she did not recognise.

He stood mere inches away from her, looking down at her with a mocking smile on his face. Had the circumstances been any different she would have thought him incredibly beautiful, but with his silken white hair and mismatched eyes her first instincts were to assume that she was being confronted with a demon. She took several steps back. He laughed at her.

“A demon I most certainly am not, although this is not the first time I have been called one.”

“Who are you? And where are we?” She demanded, looking for an exit.

“I am the Wizard of Dreams, and you, dear Kagome, are fast asleep on a train.”

Fast asleep?

She could not deny that, for a dream, it was disturbing how vivid it was. She had imagined that dreams, whilst bright, were hazy and she glanced around for any trace of the blur that should be experienced from dreams. She found it in the clock at the end of the ballroom, the time completely smeared. She relaxed.

“Apologies, this is my first time having a dream so I’m on guard.” She announced to the figure in her dreams.

“It’s quite all right, our first dreams are always the most difficult to deal with. And you have quite a strong dream.” She waited for him to continue. She did not know how to behave in a dream, nor did she know what she wanted to dream of. “How about I make this easier for you? What is your dream in the real world?”

“I want peace between demons and humans?”

“That’s it?” The figure smirked at her. It made sense that he would know her dream ran far, far deeper than that. She hesitated, feeling embarrassed admitting to it out loud.

“I want… I want to destroy Naraku.” She flinched when the man took her by the chin, lifting her head to stare into his eyes.

“And you will do anything to achieve that dream?”

“Yes.”

“Then wake up.”

 

Kagome opened her eyes as the train came to a stop. Koga was staring at her. She stared back.

“You talk in your sleep.”

“I don’t.” She responded with a smile, daring him to ask questions. He did not, instead getting up and leaving the train without her. She hesitated, wondering about the dream, before lifting herself from the seat and making her way towards the exit.

Central city was the way it had always been; overcrowded and loud. The sounds made her dizzy, having been in the countryside long enough to forget about the noise and the stimulation as people shoved past her, the stench of sweat and grease strong in the air. She almost wanted to gag. She had no idea how demons were able to cope with it, but assumed they simply learned to tolerate it.

“So, do you have a place to stay or something?” Koga asked as she slipped through the train station crowd, escaping with a heave and a sigh of relief. He looked entirely unfazed by the experience, but she had seen the crowd move out of the way for him; one of the privileges of being a high-class demon, she thought.

“Hm, I was kind of caught off guard so for the time being I have a hotel.” She smiled, moving past him. She heard him click his tongue.

“That won’t do.” She tilted her head, waiting for him to continue. “You’re staying in the den with us.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea.”

“It’s the one you’ll have to get used to.” She paused, staring at him. She did not understand his logic. Was she not a wicked deceiver in his eyes that deserved the worst? She thought that, considering what she had done, he would want to keep as much distance from her as possible.

Then another thought came into mind: keep your enemies close. It would be difficult for him to monitor her actions if she were cooped up in a hotel far away from him, and there was a greater risk of her doing something he could not directly influence if he was separated from her. In that sense, it would be reasonable to keep her in the den.

“I’d rather not be eaten.” She responded, keeping ahead of him. Her hotel was not far away from the station, purposefully kept with view of the trains.

“They won’t eat you.” He bit back, grabbing her arm. She stopped moving. “Look, I don’t like you, but for some fucked up reason I chose you as part of the pack. And the pack stays together no matter what. You don’t leave the pack; the pack doesn’t leave you. We work on this together or not at all.”

It was something she respected in wolf demons, mostly because she respected it in wolves. Their loyalty was like nothing she had experienced, and they stuck together through everything regardless of the danger to their own wellbeing. It made them far more trustworthy than most demons, and most humans. That was why she had used the pack against Koga, because she knew that no matter how terrible an idea it seemed, he would never abandon Hakkaku.

The part about her being a pack member surprised her.

“Oh.” Was all she had to say. He could just as easily be lying to her, and she knew this. However, she knew that even if she went to the den she would not be allowed to die; that would damn Hakkaku to an early grave. She was, for the time being, immune to their attacks. “Well, if you insist!”

 

There were many thoughts to be had as to what made a den. Wolves, in general, kept their dens underground and they were used primarily for mothers and their cubs. They were small, dark, and warm and often within the territory of the actual wolf pack itself.

So, it came as no surprise to Kagome to find herself in the midst of a large group of wolf demons within the Blue district being eyed like the lump of meat that she was. She knew that if she were careless and stepped too far away from Koga that there was a risk of her life being taken from her, so she stood nearby as he marched forward.

He radiated an energy she could only describe as ‘alpha’ as he walked in front of her, the aura spilling out in waves. She could not deny her nervousness at feeling such a presence close to her own person; he was completely different from the other times they had met.

The den was underground, as she had anticipated, and lit by fairy lights which twinkled above and around her. Koga glanced back at her once, checking to see that she was still there, and Kagome could see that his eyes glowed in the dim lighting.

The stairway led to a large open space also lit by fairy lights and various lanterns, an assortment of blankets and pillows scattered about the enclosed space with no immediate order to it. Several demons were in the room taking part in domestic activities when Koga walked in. Kagome did not leave his side.

“Listen up folks we’ve got some new members!” He announced, and the space stilled.

He pushed Kagome forward. She stumbled slightly, and she could see him smirking.

“This is Kagome. She’s a human that’s going to help us out.”

She could hear the whispers. A human in their midst? Why would Koga let a human into the pack? Were they not supposed to eat humans? Many had mentioned that they had already eaten human and their eyes glanced over Kagome’s sturdy frame, eyes the exposed muscles. She tugged on her clothes wishing she had worn jeans instead of shorts.

“From today onwards we aren’t eating humans.” She could hear the beginnings of complaints, but they were all quickly silenced. “Instead, Kagome here is going to help us take down the Birds of Paradise.”

She glanced at Koga. She did not recall suggesting that she would help him in any of his issues, but he did not acknowledge her.

“And in turn we are going to help her to take down Naraku.”

Naraku was not a name they enjoyed, and there were a few growls mixed into the whispers with one wolf shouting:

“Fuck Naraku.” She smirked at that. She thought she would get along just well with that wolf had he not been a demon. She kept her head down as Koga continued to speak.

“So, make her feel at home. She’ll be staying for a while.” The end of the sentence sounded more like a threat and he pushed her further forward before abandoning her to the pack. She watched in horror as he returned up the stairs.

Panic took over her in an instant. She began to back away, glancing at the stairs that were her only exit. The pack began to circle her, curious gazes upon the new figure. A few wolves ran up to her, pressing against her legs trying to catch a whiff of her scent. She held back the urge to scream, to run, to do anything.

All she could think of was the fact that she was surrounded, and if they decided to kill her then she was damned.

“New to demons, then?” A voice spoke out. It was Ginta. He brought out a hand, a gesture he had learned from observing humans. “I’m Ginta, second-in-command. Nice to meet you.”

She stared at the hand with uncertainty, before drawing out her own hand and shaking it.

“Normally Hakkaku would introduce himself as second-in-command, but he’s not around.” She did not have the heart to tell him where Hakkaku had been.

“O-oh, well, I kind of already met him. He’s on his way.” She mumbled, feeling hot. She rubbed at her forehead and noted that she was sweating. “He… he kind of introduced us to Koga.”

“Hakkaku met you?” In the eyes of Ginta, the only times Hakkaku would meet a human would be if he intended to eat one, so it came as a shock to him.

“Yes, he knows one of my friends.” She responded with more confidence, releasing his hand and rubbing it. He had a firm grip. “They really kind of forced me into this situation. I’m… not a fan of demons.”

Ginta had the nerve to look insulted, but she was a human and he understood right away.

“Well, come with me and we’ll make you feel right at home!” He dragged her away. She almost screamed at the force he used on her arm, but bit her lip instead. The wolves followed behind her, enthusiastic with their new member. She could not help but wonder if Koga intended to torture her with friendliness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning scene is what is mentioned in chapter two of The Hunt, in case you are wondering.  
> Thank you for reading so far!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations are made.

Ginta thought Kagome to be an unusual girl. She was quiet and on edge as was to be expected from a human surrounded entirely by demons, and yet there was a sharpness to her. Her reflexes were quicker than most humans and she was static; the hairs on his arms would spring up whenever he got close to her. He could only faintly see it, but there was an aura around her that Ginta had not seen in some time and he wondered if Koga had noticed it yet.

‘Definitely.’ He thought with a smile. Their leader was practically a genius and knew everything.

“Alright folk, let’s get some food in this girl.”

“That’s not…” Somebody was already pulling out food by the time she had opened her mouth, shoving meat into her hands with an ‘eat eat’. She looked at it with a slight frown.

“It’s not human.”

“It’s not that.” He did not understand. It was as fresh as it got, the deer recently hunted, and was certainly safe to eat. “Humans don’t tend to eat their meat raw.”

“Then how do you eat it?” She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“Do you have a fire?”

He watched in fascination as she pulled out a knife, he did not know she was armed, and began to cut the meat into pieces before starting a fire in the middle of the den. A few wolves came close, yipping when the fire burnt their paws.

“Do you have a pan?”

“Uh…” They had one pan, and she happily took it. She asked for butter and she asked for some vegetables, things that they generally did not have; wolves did not need such things. She made no complaints but Ginta could see her brow furrow and part of him hated their eating habits in that moment.

It was only natural, he reminded himself. Until that moment they had not cared for anyone outside of the pack and the pack consisted solely of meat eaters. They were unprepared, they could not be expected to provide each of Kagome’s needs, and yet the wolf in him was ashamed that anyone in their community was even slightly upset.

“We’ll get some next time.”

“Mm.” She smiled despite how she felt. There was no deceiving his nose, she was upset. “I’ll get used to… all of this.”

“Yeah.” He already had an idea that she stayed away from demons, probably even half demons. She still kept herself rigid, ready to fight at any given moment. He hoped it would change with time, that she would truly depend on them. “Hey, uh, how are you going to fight the Birds of Paradise?”

The smile was genuine then. Grim, she poured the meat onto a plate and moved the pan away from the fire.

“I’m going to burn them out.”

 

Koga reached the top of the building, looking down at the city. The clear dividing lines between humans and demons stood proud, cutting through the city like a cake. True to their names, the lights of the city generally told which district was which, the cheap orange lights telling the Orange District apart from his home.

‘Kagome came from the Orange District…’ It was the closest to the demons and where a recent riot had taken place. It was GreenBird that had triggered the riot by exposing information regarding a new law that was going to happen come the new year.

_“A friend of mine… she heard they were going to be slipping in a controversial law next week without going through parliament. I was supposed to find out whether this was true.”_

He sniffed the air. The statement came to him in a blur, the voice muffled. He felt fear and confusion, distrust and paranoia combined with a terrifying desire to protect.

Kagome had gathered the information. And he knew it at the time. She had told him.

‘So why did she…’ Part of him understood that it was likely for his own safety. Perhaps she did not want the pack to be involved because she had already met them and did not wish for them to be harmed. Or used against her.

That part of him won, and he loathed the trusting nature of his mind. He trusted Kagome to have done it for a good reason, shaking his head to clear his mind of the thoughts. He did not want to trust Kagome. Not after she had betrayed them.

But did she really?

‘Shut up.’ The city air was not good for his mind. He was conflicted. He still wanted to trust Kagome, despite everything. ‘We’ll see how much we can trust her when we deal with the Birds of Paradise.’

 

It took several hours for Hakkaku to return to them and by that point he had worked himself into a worry. He knew Kagome would be meeting the pack and he could not help but fear that she had done something dreadful to the entire pack. He understood that she would not really do something wicked, and yet his mind clung onto the idea that his pack was in danger.

“I’m sorry Kagome did… that to you.”

“It’s fine.” Ayame helped to clear his mind. Ever since they met he knew that she was the one for him, human or not.

“No, it isn’t. Still, we’ve known each other since we were children, so I feel I have to explain her actions.”

“She doesn’t trust demons, that’s the issue.”

“That’s not it.” He waited, curling his hand around her own. They were so thin he could see the tendons in them. “She doesn’t trust humans much either.”

“Not the trusting sort.”

“She used to be.” She opened her mouth, staring out the window. “She used to be. Well… she was…”

Eventually, she leaned in towards him, the smell of juniper strong in the air. Her breath on his ear, he froze at what he heard.

 

When Koga returned to the den, Kagome had settled in a corner and was surrounded by young pups. He sniffed the air, suspicious, but found no malice behind the action. Despite her supposed hatred of demons, she appeared content in the space and was even playing with one of the wolves. If she saw that wolf in human form, he wondered whether she would reel away from them.

“Give the girl space.” A few wolves remained, sitting patiently around her as she ate. She chewed slowly, watching each of them as they shuffled closer to her. It was an almost comedic sight. “Get!” He barked, forcing them to retreat.

He took a spot next to Kagome, resting his arm on his leg as he stared at her. Like all humans, there was nothing particularly overwhelming about her. She had dark hair, recently cut into a bob, and dark eyes, and skin that was the colour of mocha. He could see a faint dusting of freckles on her nose, and the tan lines that came with being out in the intense heat as long as she had.

Acknowledging this, he was aware of the fact that it was mostly her smell that drew him towards her. The cursed odour of human flesh that made his stomach rumble, and yet he reeled at the sheer concept of eating her. He would never be satisfied.

“What do you know of the Birds of Paradise?” He started, waiting for her response. She finished chewing, and he watched her swallow, wiping the juices from her lips. Curse those deceptive lips.

“Well… they’re birds.” She started simply, as if to mock him. “And they’re pretty ugly. Class D birds on average, but their leader is actually twins fused together rated at a Class C. Knowing this, I have no idea why you are struggling with them at all.”

“They’ve recently come across a shard of… something.” She raised her brow. “I don’t know what it is, but it looks like a jewel.” He did not mention that he also had several similar shards, and when he saw Kagome’s reaction he was glad that he had chosen not to.

Her expression slowly changed. At first, she appeared uninterested, only the dullest form of curiousity forming on her face, then a steady anger began to form. She grit her teeth, the grinding echoing in Koga’s ears. Then she stopped. And then she smiled. Koga had only known Kagome for a short while, but already began to associate such a smile with danger.

“Oh dear.”

 

Kagome’s family had protected the Shikon Jewel with their lives, and still it was taken from them. A young girl at the time, she could barely register the danger around her as her mother tried to fight them off with a pair of scissors, she and her brother hidden in the closet as the scissors were taken from her mother and lodged into her eye.

She remembered the screaming the most as she was tortured. It went on too long for her brother to hold back, running out of the closet to try and push the man away, but he was just batted away like a rag doll, and the angle he had hit the wall at was unnatural, his back split in half.

Kagome stayed hidden like a good little girl, paralysed by her fear. At ten, she had never heard of such things happening. They lived in the countryside, they lived far away from the demons and thought they were safe. What a terribly naïve thought, she thought years later.

The man reached into the closet and pulled her out.

“Qglr lviyr rgua ibw?” She could not remember what the man had said as he spoke. She was looking at her mother’s corpse, the blood soaking into her socks. It was wet and warm. “Rgw qukk nljw l fiis aklcw.”

‘What are they saying?’ She was too sick to understand the words. She was shaking from head to toe as she was lifted up, and it was then that she began to scream.

 

“That jewel shard could have only have come from Naraku.” Kagome stated after several moments of simply staring ahead. Koga had felt the change in her body and recognised it well. It was the same distant look many of his pack had experienced when they remembered something upsetting. Instinctively, he moved closer and shook her arm.

She snapped out of her daze in a moment and stared at him. The vacant expression was still there. She was in a world far crueller than his own, a place he could not reach.

“How would you know that?”

“They killed my family to get it.”

Koga had heard of the Higurashi massacre and had thought it a relief that the family of priestesses were wiped out. He was the only one, in that moment, that was aware of a survivor. He decided, then, to keep it a secret. A priestess was better on his side than against it.

 

Kagome thought of the many things that had been said about her. That she was a daydreamer seeking to achieve an impossible goal, that she was foolish in the head and could not be left unattended, that she was cunning and wicked and only out for destruction, that she had high ambitions and that she would get far in life with such a determined mind, that she was delaying the inevitable and was sluggish in her actions.

She thought to herself, how could she be all of these things at once, or was it easier to assume that she was none of them? She turned over in her blanket, staring dully at the back of Koga. He had purposefully kept her from the other wolves and she could understand the sentiment. Rightly so, she thought, because if there was one thing that was certain about her it was that she could not be trusted.

She blew hot breath onto his back and watched his body tense. He was not asleep at all, though he pretended otherwise. He would not sleep for some time, she imagined, so she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading so far! I greatly appreciate your comments!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds of Paradise meet fire.

A blonde woman entered the facility quietly with a police officer. The woman had her head dipped down but had a stern expression upon her face as she walked behind the officer. The echoes of her shoes clicking against the red, polished floor bounced across the open reception area. She was holding a large bag that was entirely unsuited to her leather jacket and black jeans. The demon behind the register barely acknowledged her, sensing no power from the woman herself, but directed his attention towards the officer who he knew to be incredibly powerful from experience.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“Got a guest for the Paradise brothers here.” He pointed back to the woman. Looking back on her, she was incredibly beautiful and the demon already had an idea in his mind for what the woman was to be used for. A pity, he thought, as she was quite the sight with intelligent brown eyes and a heart-shaped face and angles in- “Can we go through?”

“Right.” He stated, pressing the button.

The elevator was made of glass and had a wonderful view of the city, the districts blurred during the day time into a collection of skyscrapers that twinkled like diamonds in the sunlight. One could almost call it breath-taking, or that was what the woman thought as they reached the penthouse, turning back around to walk out of the elevator.

‘It makes sense that Birds of Paradise would live on the top floor of the highest skyscraper.’ Thought the woman as they entered the corridor with its red floors and black walls, threads of red light shining through the gaps in the panelling; analysing their every movement.

“I’ll be outside.” The officer gestured. The woman nodded once, setting her bag on the ground outside the penthouse door. “Good luck.”

“I’ll need it.” The officer stepped aside as the woman entered the penthouse.

It was incredibly spacious with the entire space illuminated by white, a circular dip in the centre which was covered in black furnishings, cascades of red transparent silk running down from the ceiling into the space, leaving the woman with only a silhouette of the brothers before her.

She did not flinch, but there was a distinct cringe on her face as she acknowledged the bulbous form that fused the two brothers together. She had only seen them in flight a few times before, and never up close, but she knew that a hideous face of bulging eyes and gnashing teeth lurked underneath the torsos of the two brothers.

“We were not expecting company today.”

“I’m a gift.” She stated with a calm tone, keeping her bag rigid as she unzipped her leather coat and set it on the nearest hook. She was wearing only a red sports bra underneath. One of the brothers, she thought the left one, whistled as she dipped low to take off her shoes, walking towards them.

She pulled back the curtain of red silk and tried not to cringe at what she saw. It was uglier up close and had a leering expression on its face. The brothers looked almost identical except only had a more square face and the one on the right had a more rectangular face.

“So curious?” The one with the square face leaned forward, drawing a hand through her long blonde hair. His nails dragged through the hair like knives, cutting a few strands loose.

“I was wondering what your names were?” He scoffed. “Is that such an odd question?”

“Most assume we’re the same person, I see you have some sharp eyes on you. I’m Foto, he’s Yoto.”

“Foto and Yoto, huh?” She smiled brightly, and it was a truly beautiful smile. “Well then…”

She stepped away for a moment and reached out behind her back. It was only then that they noticed her belt was on backwards. She pulled out a gun and shot them both. Naturally, it deflected off them both. She burst out laughing.

“Sorry, I wanted to make sure I was dealing with the real thing not some faker.”

“Deal with those often?” Yoto was the first to recover, raising a dark brow at the strange woman.

“All the time. You have no idea how competent humans have become at disguising themselves as demons. Why, they can suppress everything that makes them human and pose as weaker demons. I wanted to be sure.”

“Sad that you have to actually check these days, humans are such desperate creatures.” The woman’s eyes glinted as she crawled into the den.

“They sure are.” They failed to notice the eerie pink glow that followed her every movement.

 

Koga did not know what he was to be expecting when Kagome put on the blonde wig that afternoon. She looked strange with red lipstick, applying mascara to her already dark eyelashes.

“Okay, what are you doing?” She adjusted her new hair slightly, the colour too pale on her.

“The Paradise brothers are called Foto and Yoto and have a preference for blonde women that can remember that they’re separate people.” She stated as she snapped her mirror shut, borrowing a leather jacket from Hakkaku which he reluctantly gave away. She was wearing nothing but her sports bra underneath which raised a brow from Koga; it was not that hot surely?

“And…?”

“I’m going in as a prostitute.”

“What!?” He did not mean to shout and yet he did it anyway. Everything screamed no, she was too fragile for such a task and would be torn apart at the seams if they got even remotely close to her.

“Relax, it’s not like I’ll actually have sex with them. Ew.” Ew indeed, but the sheer concept of being left alone with them revolted and worried him; she would be separate from the pack and separate from him. She would be left to fend for herself and he highly doubted she would be able to take on any demon on her own. It was only natural that he be terrified. “You’re giving me that look like you think I’ll die.”

“You can’t take on a demon on your own.” He stated matter-of-factly, and he knew that he was right. Kagome got up from the ground, brushing herself off.

“I know. That’s why you’ll lead me right to their doorstep.”

 

The woman came across as quite aggressive in how she attempted to pin him down, and Yoto would not lie; he liked it. He preferred his prey with a bit of spunk even if they were as fragile and weak as a baby bird. Plus, there was always the comfort of having a woman on top of him. Foto was not so happy about being ignored and made to pull at her arm. She moved gently with him and Yoto could not help but sulk. Always so demanding was his brother.

“Lie down.” He demanded of the woman and she did as she was told, the smile on her face almost a smirk as she came face to face with their underbelly; they could see the glint in her eyes and knew that she was revolted, as most demons were, at the sight. A shame, Yoto thought, because he liked the woman. “Such a pretty bird.”

She was like a fledging. Tiny, delicate, and just out of his reach; not that that would last long.

The woman reached out with a closed fist towards the mouth of their underbelly and, rather boldly, put her hand in. It was a strange sensation, Yoto would not lie, and he had never experienced prey bold enough to do such a thing on their own. Normally they sought to avoid the mouth altogether.

“Sorry, I got curious.” Her hand tasted strangely sweet as she pulled away. He hungered to taste more and reached out for her arm. She really was a treat, but he grew frustrated as she pulled away into a sitting position.

“I said lie down.”

It was then that she pulled off her wig.

“Nah.”

 

Koga inevitably got curious about what was in the bag she had left behind and after several moments of contemplation he knelt and unzipped the bag. Inside he saw the ticking red of numbers and realised it was a bomb. He quickly zipped the bag and stood up. They had fifteen minutes on the bomb.

‘Is that long enough?’ He knew the ride up took five minutes, so she needed ten minutes to get out of there.

The door opened, and Kagome walked out. She adjusted her wig slightly.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Koga growled, pointing at the bag. “You could have warned me.”

“Didn’t want you to give us away if they caught you.”

“And they’re dead?”

“Will be.”

“What does that mean?” She pressed the button for the elevator. He watched her as she watched the cables draw up.

“CyberiaX is a sweet drug that puts any demon to sleep within a matter of minutes first starting by numbing the limbs. Very popular with prostitutes that don’t want to deal with the uglier customers.” She rubbed her slime covered hand on her trouser leg, cringing at the sensation. “It’s the fire that’ll kill them. Weaker demons can survive bullets, but they can’t survive bombs.”

 

Hiten was the one to notice the blonde woman walking alongside Koga, and he was drawn to the smell almost instantly. It made him ravenous and so, like with any other woman, he immediately investigated. Koga was quick to move in front of her as he came close, but he was just as quick to pull closer.

“Well ain’t you a gorgeous sight.” He swore he recognised her from somewhere, something about the sharp eyes and face of very faint freckles told him he had seen this woman before. He leaned forward and took a kiss from her lips, a sure-fire way to get her to come along with him.

Koga lost it, tearing her away from him. Hiten could see the reds in his eyes and knew that, for whatever reason, he was possessive of the woman.

“Now isn’t that interesting. Got yourself a mate, Koga?” He said mockingly, finding the entire concept bizarre; his blood was very different from a wolf’s however. “I won’t lie she’s a pretty one. Take care of her. She’s as delicate as a sparrow.”

“A siskin.” The woman said, and he was determined then that he had heard her before. He may forget faces but he never forgot voices. If only he could recall where he had heard her. “Come on, Koga.” The woman tugged on his arm and he led her away like the good puppy he was.

A shame, Hiten thought, that he had to be restrained in such a way. It would be fun to mess with him, however, and he shrugged it off.

He went to the fountain outside the Paradise tower, waiting for his brother. He watched the birds flying above and wished to join them, disliking having to stay on the ground for so long. He thought of the woman and thought of how brittle her bones felt under his grasp; and how he wanted to snap them like twigs just to see her face twisted in agony. He sighed, checking his watch. Ten minutes went by before his brother finally arrived.

“Brother, sorry I’m-,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading so far I hope you enjoy this chapter.


End file.
